


An Unexpected Kinship

by Sand_wolf579



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Autistic Hartley Rathaway, Bipolar Axel Walker, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2019-10-18 04:30:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 64,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17573906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sand_wolf579/pseuds/Sand_wolf579
Summary: Hartley Rathaway was not normally the type of person to have many close friends or relationships. He always preferred to be by himself, or at least in intelligent company. And yet, there was just something about loud, energetic Axel that Hartley was drawn to.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story that I wrote two years ago and posted on fanfiction.net, and I've been wanting to put it on AO3 for awhile, but am only now getting around to it. 
> 
> I've always loved The Rogues. I mean, what's not to love about them? They're just fun. In general two of my favorite rogues has always been Pied Piper and Trickster, and I've always enjoyed reading fanfiction that address their relationship to each other, so I decided to have a go at it myself. Of course, this one will be a bit different, because the Trickster in this one won't be James Jesse, but Axel Walker. So, uh, yeah, I hope I do these characters justice, because I really love these two.

Hartley Rathaway took a sip of his espresso and glanced around the overly crowded coffee shop disdainfully. There really was way too many people here for Hartley's tastes, which was strange, considering the hour. Then again, CC Jitters was a warm, cosy building, and many of the people had probably just come in to get out of the unexpected downpour that had started a short time ago.

Hartley though was there for a reason. He had made plans with somebody. Somebody who clearly didn't care as much about punctuation or common courtesy as he did.

Harley let out a huff of irritation and took a look at his watch. The time read 8:47, which meant that his date was now seventeen-no, wait. Eighteen-minutes late. Deciding to give this guy the benefit of the doubt Hartley checked his phone. Just as he thought though, he had no new voice messages or texts.

It was official, Hartley decided. He had been stood up. How disappointing. He wasn't all that shook up about it though. It wasn't as if the guy had meant all that much to him anyways. He had just been a guy who had asked Hartley out, and since the other man had seemed nice enough and certainly didn't look half bad, Hartley had decided to give him a chance.

And just look where that got him.

Sadly, this wasn't the first time that Hartley had been stood up on a date, and it probably wouldn't be the last. So either he had a lousy taste in men (which was entirely possible) or all the guys who showed any interest in him were just homophobic idiots who thought it would be funny to mess with the gay kid's feelings (Again, entirely possible).

Sighing in annoyance Hartley packed up his things and left the popular coffee shop. The minute he stepped outside though he almost considered going back into the warm building, because it was raining pretty hard. That would make walking home a bit of a pain. Especially since Hartley hadn't thought to bring his umbrella when he left the house. He only lived about a fifteen minute walk away from Jitters, but without something to keep him dry he would be soaked by the time he got home.

This was not going to be fun.

Hartley briefly considered getting a taxi or taking the bus home, but decided against it. The Central City buses didn't run as often at night, so by the time the bus came he would have already been home. It didn't look like there were any taxis around, and Hartley wasn't much in the mood for hunting one down or calling for one.

So, walking it was.

Hartley scowled and flipped up the hood of his jacket so he would have at least a little protection from the rain a chill. He put his hands in his pockets to keep them warm and forced himself to step away from the building, which had been providing little protection anyways.

"Hey, wait!" A voice called out, but Hartley ignored whoever it was. He didn't recognize the voice, so it probably wasn't somebody that he knew, so he wasn't interested. Besides, who was to say that they were addressing him anyways? Though with the streets as empty as they were, Hartley knew that there weren't many other options. Still, he kept walking.

He had only gone a few more steps when somebody grabbed at his arm, stopping him. Hartley turned and glared harshly at the stranger, who beamed back at him. He looked about Hartley's age, if not a little younger.

"What do you want?" Hartley asked coldly, not even bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Uh, to offer you my umbrella?" The kid almost sounded amused by Hartley's rudeness, rather than put off like people usually were. Hartley eyes the stranger cautiously.

"Why would you do that?" Hartley asked. He doubted this guy was just doing it out of the goodness of his heart, because people just weren't like that. There had to be a catch or something.

"Because you don't look like you want to get wet." The stranger said matter of factly as held out his umbrella. Hartley didn't take it though. First off, because he had no idea who this guy was or what he really wanted. Second off...well, the umbrella wasn't something that Hartley would be caught dead holding. It was small and much too colorful, and looked like it was meant for a child.

"Well, why aren't you using it?" Hartley crossed his arms. Despite the fact that he was carrying around an umbrella, the kid was soaking wet. It looked as if he had just climbed out of a swimming pool or something.

"Because I like getting wet." The guy grinned, spread his arms wide and tilted his head towards the clouds, letting the raindrops fall on his face.

"You're just going to get yourself sick if you stay wet like this." Hartley couldn't help but point out. "And if you're such a fan of being wet, why are you carrying around an umbrella in the first place?"

"Because it's fun." He said simply, as if that were the only reason that anybody would ever have an umbrella. Hartley scoffed at this strange kid and his childish ways, though it was kind of amusing.

"So, do you want it?" The stranger held out the umbrella and Hartley looked at it for a moment, contemplating his decision.

"I'm not going to hold it." He said finally. The kid grinned.

"That's fine." He moved closer so he could hold the umbrella over Hartley's head, shielding him from the rain. "I'll just do this."

You're weird." Hartley said bluntly, because that was exactly what this stranger was. He didn't say it to be insulting, he was just making an observation. He often times did this with people, though nobody seemed to appreciate his observations. They just saw it as him being a jerk.

This strange kid though didn't seem to take it that way. He simply laughed and said "I know."

Hartley grinned and decided that he liked this kid, at least enough to introduce himself. "My name is Hartley." Well, kinda introduce himself. Hartley wasn't exactly in the mood for telling somebody that he just met that he was the disowned Rathaway kid. He got enough attention for that as it was.

"I'm Axel." The guy also supplied just his first name, which Hartley accepted. Sure, it was a bit informal, but if he himself didn't feel like sharing his family name, then he should respect the same decision from Axel. It was only fair.

"So, do you always offer your umbrella holding services out to everybody, or am I just special?" Hartley asked as he began walking again, Axel right at his side, keeping him dry.

"It's not usually my thing." Axel admitted. "You just looked like you were having a rough enough night already, and I didn't think it would be fair for it to get any worse just because of a bit of rain." Axel looked at him with a curious expression on his face. "Mind telling me why you were so upset at the coffee shop?"

"I wasn't upset." Hartley snapped irritably. "I was just irritated because I got stood up."

"That sucks." Axel winced sympathetically. "Was it just because of the weather?"

"No. If that were the case, he would have called me or something." Hartley pointed out. "I suspect he's just the kind of person who likes to get peoples hopes up just so he can shatter them later."

"Oh. I hate guys like that." Axel frowned and his eyes went dark for a moment. "So he was just being a jerk."

"Probably." Hartley looked at Axel, impressed. He had practically just revealed that he was gay, and Axel had hardly batted an eye about it. He hadn't become all disgusted, and he hadn't gone all weird either and proclaimed how 'cool' it was that Hartley was gay (those people really weirded him out sometimes). No, Axel had just...accepted it. As if it were as normal a thing as Hartley pointing out that he wore glasses.

It was rather refreshing, actually.

Hartley was beginning to like Axel more and more.

"So, you know why I'm out at this hour, but what about you? It's a little late for an evening stroll, don't you think?" Hartley raised an eyebrow. Axel shrugged.

"I just needed to get out of the house for a bit. I hate being cooped up in one place for too long." Axel said. "And when it's raining is the perfect time to get out, because nobody else is around."

"Ah, I see." Hartley nodded in understanding. "So you're not a fan of being around others?"

"Not really." Axel frowned and looked at the ground, thinking. "I mean, I like the idea of being around people, because it's not really all that fun to be alone all the time. But, people don't really get me."

"Trust me, I know the feeling." Hartley said empathetically. He understood very well what it was like to be shunned by society, simply because he didn't fit into the mold of what a 'normal' person was.

And, Hartley thought as Axel hummed happily next to him, this kid wasn't exactly 'normal' either. And that was okay...well, mostly okay. Hartley scowled in irritation when Axel ran ahead to jump in a large puddle that was in the sidewalk, and since Axel was the one holding the umbrella, Hartley temporarily lost his protection from the elements.

"Axel, if you're not going to use the umbrella right than just hand it over to me." Hartley said somewhat snappishly. He hadn't meant for his tone to be so harsh, but he was getting wet, and wasn't happy about that at all.

Axel turned around and looked sheepishly at him. "Right. Here." Axel walked back over to Hartley and passed the umbrella to him, then went right back to jumping in puddles like a child. Hartley rolled his eyes and continued walking, though he made sure to stay far enough behind Axel to not get splashed.

"You're going to get sick if you keep this up, and you'd better not come crying to me when you do." Hartley pointed out to Axel, who was absolutely soaked. Axel stopped and looked back at him.

"Don't worry. I won't." He said. When Hartley had gotten a little closer Axel grinned wickedly and splashed into a particularly large puddle that was just in front of Hartley. Luckily, Hartley had anticipated Axel doing that and had moved out of the way just in time that not much of the water reached him. Still he was annoyed.

"Yeah, that was mature." Hartley glared at Axel who stuck his tongue out at him in return. To Hartley's pleasure Axel seemed to have enough with splashing around like a bored, attention seeking child and had gone back to just walking normally next to him. Axel only ran ahead of Hartley again when they began to near an intersection, and that was just because Axel wanted to be the one to push the button so they could cross.

The two of them stood in silence while they waited for the stoplights to change so they could get their chance to cross. As he waited Hartley could hear two young women who were waiting out the storm under the cover of a nearby building gossiping. Normally Hartley couldn't care less about what other people said or talked about, but when he caught a few of the women's words he grew slightly nervous.

"I swear it's him. He's the guy from the news." One of the women whispered loudly, as if she was trying to keep her voice down, but was failing badly.

"Should we call somebody?" Her friend asked worriedly.

Hartley looked away from the two of them and stared straight ahead, ignoring the paranoid feeling that they were talking about him. He was, after all, the son of two of the richest people in the city, and there had been plenty of instances when Hartley had been recognized by absolute strangers.

The women continued talking, and the more they said the less they bothered to keep their voices down. Soon it became hard to ignore their words, and now Axel could hear them too. For some reason Axel seemed even more uncomfortable with what the girls were saying than Hartley was. In fact, he seemed more than just uncomfortable. Axel looked downright anxious.

Axel tapped his foot on the ground and kept switching his gaze between the women and the sign across the street. He also kept looking at the ground, hiding his face. It was as if he wanted to see what the girls were doing, while at the same time not draw any attention to himself. His plan wasn't working out very well though, because Hartley was sure that the harder he tried to not be noticed, the more noticeable he was making himself.

Hartley nudged Axel with his elbow. "What are you doing?" He hissed. Axel looked at him somewhat nervously.

"I-" Axel froze when he saw that one of the girls had brought out her phone and was anxiously making a call on it. "I-I gotta go." Axel stammered. Without supplying any more explanation than that Axel just ran off, leaving Hartley to wonder just what had happened.

"Axel, wait." Hartley called out as Axel turned into an alleyway. Hartley ran after him, but by the time he reached the alley Axel was already gone, and there was no way for Hartley to know where. Sighing in frustration and annoyance Hartley made his way back to the intersection where the light had finally changed, meaning he could now cross. Hartley glared harshly at the two women who had somehow scared Axel off before crossing the street and continuing on his way home.

As Hartley walked he clutched tightly at the stupid umbrella and thought about Axel. Why had he run off like that? And, more importantly, would Hartley ever see him again? Hartley certainly hoped that he did, sooner rather than later.

After all, this was a really ugly umbrella, and Hartley had no intention of keeping it whatsoever. The sooner he could give it back to Axel, the better.


	2. Chapter 2

The rain only got worse as the night wore on. By the time Hartley, who was very much a night owl, went to bed the rain had become a full thunderstorm. Hartley didn't mind it though. In fact, he actually loved thunderstorms, though it wasn't always that way.

Hartley had memories from when he was very young and while he never feared the storms, he did hate them. Especially the really bad ones. Back then, Hartley could see the rain falling to the earth, and he could see the lightning strike the sky. And, occasionally during particularly bad storms he could feel the vibrations from the earth caused by the rolling of the thunder.

But he couldn't hear anything.

Hartley had been born deaf. It was only thanks to hearing implants he had received at a later age was he even able to hear anything at all to this day. Back then though, he couldn't hear a sound, and it was sometimes frustrating and upsetting to him. Especially when he knew that he should be hearing something. Such as during a thunderstorm.

After Hartley got his hearing implants he was suddenly able to hear sound, and it had felt like a whole new world had been opened to him. Hartley had become absolutely obsessed with all forms of sound (Except needless talking. If a person has something to say, just say it and stop wasting everybody's time).

Even though Hartley used to hate storms when he was younger, he absolutely loved them now. He could just sit in the dark for hours and let the sound of the gentle rain and rolling thunder lull him to sleep. The only thing he didn't like about storms was what happened the morning after.

Hartley would always wake up later than he usually did, which he absolutely hated. As if that wasn't bad enough, he would always wake up feeling sore and stiff after a thunderstorm. He didn't know why it happened, or how, which just irked him even more. Over the years Hartley had come to realize that going out for a walk usually did wonders for the stiffness.

So when Hartley woke up feeling stiff like he usually did after a storm he grumbled a bit but still pulled on his favorite dark green hoodie and headed outside to stretch his muscles. The skies were still overcast and there was a definite chill in the air, but at least it wasn't raining anymore. For that, he was grateful.

Hartley reached into his hoodie pocket and took out the earbuds he kept in there. He put them in his ears, plugged it into his phone. Hartley took a minute to choose a soundtrack to listen to. He selected his decision and went on his way as he let the sound of the music wash over him.

Hartley immediately made his way to the park, like he always did on these walks. Being in the park instead of in the city meant that he didn't have to deal with as many idiotic people who were in an even worse mood than usual because of the gloominess of the weather. And it was safer to let himself get distracted by his music in the park rather than on the streets, where he would likely just end up getting mugged.

Besides, it was much more peaceful and quiet in the park, definitely not nearly as chaotic or crowded as the city streets were. He wasn't the only one who thought so either. Hartley saw a number of joggers and other walkers as he strolled. They were probably the people who didn't like getting up at the crack of dawn to exercise, but didn't want to deal with the heat of the day either. For people like them, post storm weather was absolutely perfect for light exercise.

...And then there were the crazies who seemed to lose all sense of dignity and self restraint, like that weirdo over there.

Hartley stopped in his tracks on the path and stared at the young adult who was running through the wet grass, shoes in his hands, and laughing insanely. Hartley watched him for a few moments before realizing that he recognized that dark hair and studded leather jacket. Grinning to himself Hartley stepped off the path and walked toward the energetic young man.

"Do you just have a thing against being dry or something?" Hartley called out, his tone half teasing and half scolding. Axel turned and looked shocked to see Hartley there, but that surprise quickly turned to joy.

"Hey, it's you." Axel beamed and waved at him. Hartley chuckled and gave a small wave in return.

"It's me." Hartley put his hands in his pockets and turned down his music. Usually whenever he listened to music at all, whether when he was out or at home, he had it turned up really loud so he could just get lost in the music and effectively ignore the world around him. At the moment though Hartley didn't want to drown out the world, and even if he did he doubted that Axel would have let him.

Axel just struck Hartley as the type of person who drew attention to himself, though he couldn't tell if it was on purpose or not. All Hartley knew was that when Axel was around, it was nearly impossible to not give him attention, so why bother trying?

"You do know that those are supposed to go on your feet, right?" Hartley nodded at the shoes in Axel's hands. Axel looked at the shoes curiously before shrugging and tossing them on the ground.

"But it feels better like this." Axel said. "The ground is so squishy."

"Squishy?" Hartley raised a judgemental eyebrow.

"What? Would it be better if I said that wet grass feels so semisolid?" Axel wrinkled his nose and Hartley couldn't help but chuckle.

"No, by all means, call it squishy." Hartley gestured with his hand for Axel to continue with what he was doing. Axel's word of choice may be somewhat infantile, but honestly, so was his behavior, so it worked.

"So, what are you doing out here? You know, other than trying to get a cold." Hartley asked.

"Uh, getting my feet wet." Axel said as if it were a stupid question. He raised his wet and muddy foot for Hartley to see for himself. "What about you? I thought you didn't like rain."

"I like rain just fine, I just don't like being wet." Hartley said, his nose turned ever so slightly into the air. "And, in case you hadn't noticed, it's not raining. I'm just out for a walk."

"It's pretty cool that we just happened to run into each other again." Axel said. He eyed Hartley. "You're not stalking me or anything, are you?"

"Of course not." Hartley huffed. "Even if I had wanted to, your disappearing act last night would have made it impossible, since it's impossible to stalk someone if you don't know where they went in the first place." Hartley's tone was more bitter than he meant it to be, but he was pretty ticked with Axel. Honestly, what sort of person just ran off without the least bit of a warning?

Axel's smile dropped from his face and was replaced by a sorrow filled look instead. Just seeing that look on Axel's face made Hartley feel guilty about his words. Before he could even begin to apologize though Axel's grown quickly turned into a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Axel rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously. "I just...I needed to get out of there."

"It's fine." Hartley assured him, because honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal. "How about a bit more of a warning next time though?"

"Okay." Axel nodded in agreement, a bit more of that joyful light came back to his eyes. "Hey, you wanna go swing?" Without even waiting for a response Axel raced off toward the nearby empty playground. Hartley sighed and followed after him, though not before pausing to pick up the pair of shoes that Axel had tossed aside and probably forgotten about. Hartley was curious about how long it would take Axel to realize that he didn't have his shoes.

More than that though, Hartley was curious about just what Axel was hiding. Yes, the younger man did seem genuinely excited about playing on the swings, but at the same time Hartley was under the impression that Axel had merely suggested it as a change of subject, to avoid talking about...whatever he didn't want to talk about.

Whatever Axel was hiding though, Hartley wouldn't pry about it. Whatever it was, it was none of his business, it was Axel's. Besides, Hartley had a couple of secrets of his own. Maybe one day the two of them would trust each other enough to share their secrets, but considering the fact that they had only met the night before, it was only to be expected that that day wasn't today.

By the time Hartley arrived at the swingset Axel had already claimed one and had started swinging, looking impatient.

"You took forever." Axel whined with a pout.

"Forgive me for not having an endless supply of energy like you." Hartley said half jokingly. He set aside Axel's shoes and sat on the wet swing next to Axel's. Hartley would have been completely content with just sitting on the swing and chatting, but Axel had other plans. Kicking his legs back and forth Axel began to swing higher and higher.

"You look like you're ready to fly." Hartley remarked a minute later, and it wasn't just because of the height he was gaining either. The expression on Axel's face when he reached the peak of his swing was one of total elation.

"I am." Axel grinned and, right at the point of his next swing when he was at his highest Axel let go of the swing's chains and pushed himself forward. For a brief moment Axel's momentum from the swing sent him upward, but then gravity took control and he fell toward the ground. He didn't crash or hurt himself like Hartley had been afraid he would. In fact, Axel landed on his feet with far more grace than anybody else Hartley had seen jumping off a swing.

"You're quite an acrobat." Hartley remarked. Axel turned around and grinned at him.

"I guess it's in my blood or something." Axel returned to his swing and began kicking his legs back and forth, which moved the swing a little, but since he was kicking out of rhythm with the swing it didn't move a lot.

"Do you have a relative that's an acrobat?" Hartley asked.

"Uh, kinda." Axel said unsurely, his grin quickly disappearing into a frown. He dug his feet into the ground to stop the movement of his swing. "My dad, he, uh...my mom said that he used to be an an acrobat at the circus, but that was before he…changed" Axel trailed off, a dark look came over his eyes that started Hartley a bit.

"Changed how?" Hartley asked. Axel shook his head.

"It doesn't matter." He said, though clearly it did matter to Axel, a lot. "I don't even know if he changed at all. Maybe the man that he is today is just the man that he always has been." Axel's fists clenched over the swing's chains.

"So, you have daddy issues." Hartley noted. He hesitated slightly before continuing. "Do you want to talk about it?" Not that Hartley was all that interested in hearing somebody else complain about their problems, but from experience Hartley knew that it would help. It wasn't good to keep bitter feelings inside and just let them build up.

"What's there to talk about?" Axel scowled. "He's a big jerk, and I can't believe I ever looked up to him." Axel scoffed and glared up at the sky. "You know, I had known him for years before finally finding out that he was actually my dad. I had been so happy at first. He said that he needed me. That he wanted me. He didn't. He just wanted to use me."

"I'm sorry." Hartley said awkwardly. "My parents weren't exactly the best parents either."

"Really?" Axel asked quietly.

"They always hold impossible expectations for me." Hartley said, the old resentment towards his parents building up again. "It was always annoying to deal with when I was younger, to never quite be good enough for them. Things didn't get really bad until they learned about my sexual preference."

Axel winced. "What did they do?"

"They disowned me." Hartley said matter of factly. Axel's eyes widened.

"Whoa, seriously?" Axel looked shocked.

"Yes." Hartley growled. He took a deep breath and calmed his anger. "It's fine now though."

"Really?" Axel raised an eyebrow. "So they're magically okay with you being gay?"

"Of course not." Hartley scoffed at the idea. "They're in complete denial that I like guys, but at least they're willing to talk to me again, just so long as I don't mention my love life to them." And that had only happened with Cisco's help (not that Hartley would ever admit it though).

"That sounds stupid." Axel frowned.

"It is." Hartley agreed. "But at least it's a step in the right direction. What about you? You mentioned your mother before."

"My mom?" Axel rolled his eyes and actually laughed. "She never liked me very much. She thought I was too much like my dad. Meanwhile my dad doesn't think I'm enough like him. No, I don't know my mom much better than I know my dad. She raised me for a few years, then just left one day. I grew up getting thrown from one foster home to another, because nobody liked me."

"I don't think that's it." Hartley cut in. Axel looked at him curiously. "It's not like nobody liked you, it was that they didn't know how to deal with you."

"...What?" Axel tilted his head curiously.

"You have a different type of personality." Hartley explained. "As unfair as it is, people don't really understand things or people that are different, and they're either too lazy or don't care enough to actually try to understand."

Axel pouted and glared at the ground. "People are stupid." He grumbled.

"Yes, they are." Hartley muttered in agreement. "The point is, all of these failed relationships in your past aren't your fault. You're different. Special. Don't blame yourself just because other people can't see that that's a good thing."

Axel grinned and began kicking his legs again. Hartley breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he had successfully cheered up Axel, because an angry Axel was kind of scary. Besides, it was a bit unfair for somebody to go through life thinking that he wasn't good enough for anybody.

"Why aren't you swinging?" Axel asked completely out of the blue. Hartley looked at him curiously.

"What?"

"You know, swing, the thing that you're supposed to do on a, well, swing." Axel pushed his own swing back and forth to demonstrate. Hartley narrowed his eyes at him.

"Don't push your luck." Hartley warned. "You're lucky I agreed to sit on this juvenile thing at all, let alone play on it."

"They're supposed to be played on." Axel pointed out. "And you look even sillier if you're just sitting there not even using it." Huh. Hartley supposed that Axel did have a point there. And it wasn't as if there were many people around to judge them anyways.

"Come on," Axel whined. "Swing with me." Without giving Hartley a chance to respond, or even think, Axel took Hartley's hand, used his feet to push off, and started swinging again, this time dragging Hartley behind him. Disliking the feeling of being pulled around, and knowing very well that Axel wasn't going to let go of his hand any time soon, Hartley began kicking and leaning to keep the swing in motion. Soon he was swinging in sync with Axel.

"See? It's not that bad." Axel laughed as they swung higher and higher. Hartley soon found himself grinning too, finding Axel's joy contagious. It wasn't long before the two of them were as high as they could go, and Hartley had to admit, the wind from the movement of the swing did feel rather nice.

"Are you ready?" Axel asked mid swing. Hartley looked at him in confusion.

"For what?" Axel didn't answer. He tensed and adjusted his arms, putting himself into position. Too late, Hartley realized what he was about to do.

"Axel, wait!" Hartley called out, but by that time Axel had already launched himself from the swing into the air. Axel had still been holding Hartley's hand when he had jumped, so he had gotten dragged behind him.

As a result, neither of them had landed as gracefully as Axel had for his first jump. Pulled backward by Hartley's weight Axel ended up falling on his back rather than his feet. He was a little winded, but other than that, completely unharmed.

"Ugh." Axel groaned as he sat up. "That wasn't as fun as I thought it would be." The only response that he goat was a moan of pain that almost sounded like a whimper. Axel's eyes widened. He turned and was horrified to see Hartley lying on the ground clutching at his ankle, his face scrunched up in pain.

"Hartley!" Axel crawled over to his new friend. "Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?" He said this all very quickly, a remorseful look on his face. "This is my fault. I'm so, so sorry."

"Apologies aren't doing me any good right now." Hartley growled. Axel bit his lip.

"I...sorry." Axel muttered. He could tell that Hartley's ankle was already beginning to swell and it looked like it was swollen. "What happened?"

"What do you think happened?" Hartley spat angrily. "Your little stunt caught me off guard and I landed on my foot at an odd angle."

"I told you I was sorry." Axel said quietly. Hartley's angry glare softened slightly. He sighed in defeat.

"It's fine. It was just an accident." Hartley sat up and winced when he tried to move his ankle. "I don't think it's broken, which is good, but it still needs to be taken care of."

"With ice and bandages, right?" Axel asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah, wrapping it would probably be a good idea." Hartley confirmed. "Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that we won't find the things we need here."

"So we'll just have to go somewhere that does." Axel said plainly. He stood up and offered his hand out to help Hartley to his feet. Hartley got up unsteadily. He experimentally put some light pressure on his injured foot and hissed in pain.

"I don't think I'm going to be walking anywhere like this." Hartley winced.

"That's fine." Axel turned so his back was facing Hartley and bent his knees. "I can carry you."

"Seriously?" Hartley raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, seriously." Axel said. "Unless you have a better idea."

Unfortunately, he didn't. Hartley scowled, picked up Axel's shoes, which were thankfully in reach, and begrudgingly got on Axel's back. Hartley thanked the stars that there wasn't anybody around to witness his humiliation.

"Alright, where do you live?" Axel asked as he shifted Hartley a bit, making things more comfortable for the both of them. Hartley frowned but hesitantly gave up his address, because going home really would be the best option at the moment. Not only would they find any supplies that they would need there, but it also wasn't far. And, with his ankle incapacitated for the next while, Hartley figured that the sooner he got to his own home the better.

The walk back to Hartley's place took twice as long as it normally would've, but that was to be expected. It always took more effort to go anywhere when one was carrying additional weight. Now, Hartley was by no means fat, but he weighed enough to slow the progress significantly.

And yet, despite this, Axel didn't utter a word of complaint. In fact, he didn't speak a word at all as he carried Hartley down the streets, which confused the injured young man greatly. Axel didn't strike him as the type of person who stayed silent for long. He also didn't seem like the type of person who would ever take anything seriously.

And yet here he was, quietly focusing intently on the task at hand. Hartley was impressed, and pleasantly surprised, though he said nothing about it. The only times Hartley bothered to make any comment was to provide direction. Other than that, he left Axel to himself.

The last block or so was the hardest. Axel was practically trudging now and was obviously pushing himself to continue forward. Hartley could tell that he was tired, but Axel didn't mention needing a bring, so Hartley didn't bring it up.

Finally, after what felt like forever, they arrived at their destination. Hartley took the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Axel, who fumbled awkwardly with them for a bit, but did eventually manage to get the front door open.

"Ha. I knew I could do it." Axel said breathlessly and Hartley rolled his eyes. "So," Axel looked around the front room of Hartley's home. "Where do you want to do this? Is the couch okay, or would you rather be in bed?"

Hartley smirked at just how suggestive Axel's words sounded. "Moving a little quickly, aren't we? You could at least take me out to dinner first."

Axel snicked and unceremoniously dropped Hartley down on the couch, though he was courteous enough to be careful of Hartley's ankle. "I was talking about taking care of your foot." Axel laughed and Hartley smirked.

"I know." Hartley informed him. He was well aware that he should stay off his ankle, so wherever they treated it should be someplace that he would be comfortable at for hours at a time. Thus, either the couch or his bed. The way that Axel had phrased it though, Hartley just couldn't resist. "I was just messing with you."

"So you do have a sense of humor. I was beginning to wonder about that." Axel joked.

"Of course I have a sense of humor. Most people just don't appreciate it." Hartley shrugged. "Now, are we going to actually take care of my ankle, or are we just going to sit around and talk about it?"

"Right." Axel looked flustered and glanced around Hartley's home. "Uh, where is-"

"There's an ice pack in the freezer." Hartley nodded toward the kitchen. "And I keep a roll of bandages underneath the bathroom sink, down that hallway, second door to the left." Axel nodded and went to go retrieve the items. While he was gone Hartley adjusted his position so his ankle was resting comfortably on a cushion, elevated, as it should be.

Axel returned a few moments later and quietly began working on Hartley's ankle. He seemed to know what he was doing, which Hartley supposed was to be expected. Axel was an energetic person, and probably careless at times. Hartley wouldn't be surprised to learn that Axel got injured on a regular base because of his carelessness. And, according to Axel, he never really had anybody else to care for him, so he had learned how to take care of himself.

Hartley flinched and grimaced when Axel accidently moved his ankle in a way to make it flare painfully. Axel winced sympathetically. "I'm sorry." He muttered as he continued wrapping up Hartley's foot. "I'm almost done here." A moment later Axel finished and pinned the bandage in place. Hartley rolled his foot slightly and was pleased with how much less it hurt. Putting the ice pack on it helped even more.

"Not bad." Hartley looked at Axel, who was now sitting cross legged on the floor, and smirked slightly. "This is the second time that you've saved me. And here I always thought that my knight in shining armor would be blond."

Axel tilted his head, confused. "All I did was let you borrow my umbrella and help with your injury that I caused in the first place. I wouldn't call that saving you."

"In the society that we live in today, I would." Hartley sighed and leaned back against the armrest of the couch.

"Oh." Axel contemplated Hartley's words for a minute before shaking his head and grinning. "So...do you want to watch a movie?"

"...What?" Now Hartley was the one who was confused.

"You know, a movie." Axel gestured to the tv behind him. "I mean, you're hurt and probably shouldn't move around much for a while, but you'll probably end up getting bored if you sit around doing nothing for too long, so why not watch a movie?"

Ah. Axel did have a point there. Watching a movie did sound pretty nice at the moment. Now he just had to decide what to watch. Axel was apparently one step ahead of him and was already browsing Hartley's dvd collection. He didn't own many movies, so it didn't take Axel very long to find a pattern in there.

"All of these are musicals." Axel remarked. He turned and smirked at Hartley. "If these were all you watched when you were a kid, it's no wonder you ended up gay."

"They're not all musicals." Hartley scowled, though the vast majority of his collection was, indeed, musicals. Those that weren't had at least something to do with music, whether in the plot or it just had great background soundtracks. "And for your information, being gay has nothing to do with musical theater. Just for saying that, turn on Rent." Hartley said testily. He didn't just choose that show to spite Axel, it really was one that he enjoyed, and he hadn't watched it for a while, so why not?

Axel shrugged, took the requested dvd and put it in the player. "I've never even heard of this one before." Axel pushed play and once again made himself comfortable on the floor. Hartley narrowed his eyes at him.

"What are you doing?" Hartley asked.

"Watching the movie." Axel said. He tilted his head back to look at Hartley. "Nobody said that I have to leave." And, once again, Axel had a point. Hartley just hadn't expected him to voluntarily stay and watch a 'gay musical'. Hartley didn't have anything against staying though, so he didn't say anything about it.

Hartley soon regretted that when the first song, one of his favorites in the show, started and Axel immediately began questioning what was going on.

"Why are they just standing there?" Axel asked. "They're not even doing anything. Is the whole show going to be like this?"

"No, it's not." Hartley hissed. "And they're standing on a stage because that's what the creators chose to do, now shut up." Thankfully Axel didn't question the creative choices of the directors any further. Hartley sighed in relief and turned his attention back to the movie.

Apparently Axel couldn't let him watch the movie in peace for very long. The second verse of the song had barely started when Hartley's view of the screen was blocked by Axel offering him a bag of chocolate chips?

"You want some?" Axel asked as he took a handful for himself. Hartley stared at Axel and wondered why...just why?

"Where did you get that?" Hartley asked, though he had a pretty good guess.

Axel shrugged. "From your kitchen." Knew it. Hartley rolled his eyes but did indeed take a handful of chocolate chips, because why not? Satisfied, Axel sat back down and turned his attention back to the movie. He still seemed somewhat bored and confused, though once the next song started he was cured of his boredom and began watching the movie attentively.

Hartley didn't know whether this was because the characters were actually doing something, or if it was because the rock style of music caught Axel's interest. Either way, Hartley wasn't complaining. As long as it kept Axel quiet, Hartley was happy.

The two of them watched the movie in peace, with Axel only occasionally turning around to ask Hartley about something that he didn't understand about the movie. The next few hours passed quickly and before Hartley knew it the movie was over. He used the remote to turn off the tv, made a mental note to remember to put the dvd away later, and stretched.

Hartley looked down at the floor and shook his head fondly when he saw Axel lying there, sound asleep, chocolate chips spilled on the floor near him. He had conked out during the middle of the second act, and Hartley never saw any need to wake him. Even now that the movie was over Hartley decided to just let him sleep. He had other things to occupy him.

Hartley reached a hand back to the side table next to the couch where he kept whatever book he was reading at the moment. He flipped to the page that he was on, found his place and began reading. Hartley figured he might as well take advantage of the peace and quiet now while Axel was still asleep, because he certainly wasn't going to be getting it while he was awake.


	3. Chapter 3

For the next week Hartley was confined to his apartment. He was well aware that his sprained ankle would heal faster the less he used it, so he was under self-appointed house arrest...Well, more like Axel appointed house arrest. Hartley hadn't planned on going out much until his foot was better anyways, but still, he was annoyed at Axel's insistence that he wasn't allowed, to leave his house until his ankle was completely healed.

An upside to the confinement, or downside, depending on Hartley's mood, was that Axel came over every single day. Hartley complained and rolled his eyes about it, but honestly he was grateful for the company. Axel was one of the few people in Hartley's life that he even considered thinking of as a friend, so he was glad for the chance to get to know him better.

Even if during the week Hartley learned about some of Axel's more, well, obnoxious traits.

For one, Axel had the strangest sleeping habits. Whenever they watched a movie or just listened to music, or any instance when Hartley would insist that he needed to sit still and be quiet, Axel always ended up conking out before the movie or soundtrack was over. And yet there had been a number of nights when Hartley had to literally kick Axel out because it was 2:00 in the morning, and yet Axel was practically bouncing off the walls. Hartley may be a night owl, but even he needed sleep. He honestly didn't know where Axel got all of his energy from. Maybe it was all of those bags of chocolate chips he ate.

Another one of Axel's more annoying habits was that he continuously made unfunny gay jokes. Axel found them freaking hilarious. Hartley did not. If it was anybody else making these jokes, Hartley would have already dealt with him accordingly. However, this was Axel, and despite all of the mean spirited jokes, Hartley did not believe that the young man truly meant a word that he said.

If Axel really did have a problem with Hartley being gay, he certainly wouldn't be coming over to his house every single day. Not without having a fear of being molested. No, Hartley knew that Axel was just messing around. It was in a highly inappropriate and rude way, but no true harm was meant, so Hartley let it slide.

For now.

Another thing that Hartley learned was that Axel had quite a bit of a temper, and when he lost it, he truly lost it. Axel would go mad, in both senses of the word, and it was always a shocking and admittedly frightening sight when he did. Axel wasn't frightening because he was intimidating, because he wasn't, no matter how angry he got. It was scary because Axel seemed to lose control of himself when he got the least bit angry, and Hartley didn't even want to think about what he would be like when he was furious.

He would likely be a danger to everybody, and himself. Especially if he put to use that fascination with explosives that Hartley had recently learned about.

"What are you thinking about?" Axel asked curiously. Hartley looked over at him and chuckled when he saw that Axel was sitting on a chair backwards, his legs straddling the sides and his arms wrapped around the backrest. That was another thing about Axel, he never seemed to sit normally.

"Nothing important." Hartley waved off the question. There was no way he was going to be telling Axel that he had been thinking about how dangerous Axel would be as a bomber, or possibly a terrorist.

"Yeah, right." Axel snorted. "Everything that you think about is important."

"Glad to hear you have such a high opinion of me, but I assure you, not every thought that enters my head is important. Many of them are, but this isn't one of them." Hartley grinned. "What about you? You seem to have something on your mind too."

Axel 'hmmed' thoughtfully and tapped at the back of the chair with his fingers. "I was just wondering, have you ever thought about trying to accomplish something impossible? You know, with science?"

"Axel, I'm a scientist." Hartley reminded him. "Accomplishing the impossible using science is my job."

"No, I mean the actual impossible." Axel said, and Hartley believed that he knew what he meant.

"Of course I've thought about it." Hartley said. Everybody did, scientist or not. Unlike most other people though, Hartley was in the process of making his impossible dream into a reality. It had been a project Hartley had been working on for years, and he was just starting to make some breakthroughs with it.

This project of his was something that Hartley alone had been working on. Only one other person had even known about it in the first place. Hartley had gone to Dr. Wells, or, as he had been corrected, the imposter Dr. Wells, for some advice on how to accomplish his goal. That man may have ended up being evil, but he certainly knew his stuff.

Now though Hartley figured it would be safe to share his work with Axel. It wasn't as if Axel was about to steal his work and claim it as his own, as many scientists would do without a second thought. No, Axel wasn't like that.

"Do you want to see what I've been working on?" Hartley stood up and held out his hand. Axel's eyes brightened excitedly.

"If you show me yours, I'll show you mine." Axel promised, which intrigued Hartley. Did Axel have his own impossible project that he was working on? If he did, Hartley would love to hear about it. He was always fascinated by other people's ideas, even if he did ridicule a fair few (most of them).

"I look forward to it." Hartley grinned. First though, he was going to share his own project. Hartley brought Axel into his bedroom, which had, up to this point, been an off limits spot. But Hartley figured he knew Axel well enough to let him see his personal room.

His room really wasn't anything all that impressive or special. It was just a simple bedroom with his own personal touch to it. There was a bookcase that had science books on the top shelves and music theory books and cd's on the bottom shelves. There were a couple of posters up on the wall of different musicians or groups. At his desk were his sonic gloves which he had working on.

Hartley flushed when he saw his other movie collection lying out in plain sight. It wasn't that he was embarrassed about it, because he wasn't. Many people his age, and any other age, owned porno movies. Just because his were gay pornos did not mean that he should be any more embarrassed about it as anybody else. No, he was just worried about Axel seeing them because if he did, Hartley knew that Axel would never let him live it down.

Fortunately Axel didn't notice the questionable movie collection because something else in the room had caught his eye.

"You have a pet?" Axel practically shouted as he ran over to the small catch that Hartley kept his rat in.

"His name is Hamelin." Hartley grinned. He opened up the cage, held his hand out and whistled. Hamelin's ears perked up and he obediently crawled onto Hartley's hand. Hartley pet the rat a little before handing him to Axel.

"Hamelin." Axel repeated as he looked at the rat, as if judging if the name suited him or not. "That's a weird name."

"It's the name of a town in Germany." Hartley explained as he reached into his closet and grabbed a small narrow case. "This town has a local legend that dates back to the middle ages."

"What is it?" Axel asked curiously. Hartley set the case down on his desk and opened it. Axel peered over his shoulder to see a flute.

"The legend of the Pied Piper." Hartley said as he connected the three pieces of his flute together. He gave an experimental blow into the mouthpiece, heard that it was slightly flat, and adjusted accordingly.

"Is that the guy with the flute who took away all of the rats?" Axel asked. He frowned thoughtfully and added. "Or did he use it to kidnap kids?"

"He did both." Hartley confirmed. "Legend goes that a long time ago, in the 1200's the town of Hamelin was having a rat infestation problem. One day a piper came along and said that he would be able to get rid of the rats, for a fee. The townspeople agree, so the piper plays his flute and leads all of the rats to the river where they all drown."

"When the piper went to collect his fee though, the town refused. Angry, the piper once again played his flute, only this time he led the children away from the village, never to be seen again."

"So you named Hamelin after the legend." Axel tilted his head curiously. "So why didn't you just call him Piper?"

Hartley chuckled. "Because I would rather think of myself as The Pied Piper." Hartley brought his flute up to his lips and blew, playing a single, long, high note. Hamelin twitched and stood at attention, listening. Hartley played another note and Hamelin squirmed and made a fuss until Axel put him on the ground. Hamelin then quickly scurried over to Hartley.

"What did you do?" Axel stared at him in awe. Hartley gave Axel a meaningful glance, licked his lips and began to play a series of notes, a small tune. Hartley put all of his thoughts and focus into the notes that he was playing. Hamelin's ears twitched and for a moment he just swayed slightly to the music, but then he began to obediently do everything Hartley wanted him to.

Axel watched in fascination as the rat obeyed Hartley's every whim. Even when Hartley gestured for Axel to set down a dish of cheese that he had on his dresser, Hamelin still didn't get distracted from whatever task Hartley had for him. Hartley finished up with his song and had Hamelin crawl up his body and settle down on his shoulder.

"...That was incredible." Axel said, mesmerized.

"You should see it when there's more of them." Hartley said as he pet his small rat. Axel's eyes widened.

"You can do it with more of them?" Axel asked.

"Much more of them." Hartley said slyly. "Of course, the more of them that there are, the more difficult they are to control. I do regularly try to push myself, but for the most part I just practice on Hamelin."

"You-you can control rats?" Axel grinned, an excited but also slightly scared look in his eyes. " Does-does it hurt them?"

"Not at all. I could show you, if you'd like." Hartley said. He raised an eyebrow. ""That is, if you trust me."

"Of course I trust you." Axel said quietly and for some reason Hartley was bothered by the sincerity in his voice. "What do I have to do?"

"Just sit there." Hartley nodded at the bed and Axel sat at the edge of it. "Clear your mind, close your eyes, and let me do the rest." Axel took a deep breath and did as he was told. He tried hard to keep feelings of nervousness from building up. Hartley wasn't going to hurt him. Than again, he had once thought the same thing about other people, and look where that had gotten him. Before Axel could panic and change his mind a soft, soothing melody filled his ears, calming his mind.

Axel completely let the music overcome him. He didn't think about or feel anything. All that mattered was the music.

And Hartley.

Axel was snapped out of his trance when he felt little small claws on his hand. Surprised Axel opened his eyes and was shocked to see that he was standing and that Hamelin had crawled onto his now outstretched hand from Hartley's shoulder. But Axel couldn't remember holding out his hand, or standing. He couldn't remember moving at all. He looked up at Hartley, seeing him in an all new light.

"How did you do that?" Axel asked.

"It all has to do with soundwaves." Hartley explained as he took a small cloth out of the flute case and began cleaning his instrument. "I've always been fascinated by sound and music, as well as for the old legend of The Pied Piper. I remember wondering when I was younger if the legend was true, and if so, how had the piper done it? Then a few years ago I read a study about how different types of music affect the way that a person thinks or feels, and the idea came to me. Why not take it a step further?"

"Mind control with music." Axel whispered in awe, a grin coming over his face.

"If you want to put it simply, yes." Hartley confirmed. "Of course, as you would imagine, it is rather difficult, which is why I work mostly with rats and other small animals. Humans are much more difficult. What I had you do is about as far as I can take it with more complex creatures. For now.

"The only reason it works at all is because this is no ordinary flute." Hartley held it out for Axel to get a closer look at it. "It's one I made myself, using similar technology as I used on my gloves over there, which emit sonic waves."

"A high tech flute." Axel muttered. "Never thought I'd see one of those."

"No, I imagine not." Hartley carefully took apart his flute and put the pieces back in their case which he closed securely and returned to the closet. With his flute put away Hartley took Hamelin back from Axel, gave him the cheese from earlier, for good behavior, and returned him to his cage.

"Do you want to see mine now?" Axel asked quickly, a bit too loudly than was probably necessary. Without even waiting for an answer Axel grabbed Hartley's arm and dragged him out of the room toward the front door.

"Hang on a second." Hartley pulled Axel back. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Uh, no?" Axel looked at Hartley curiously.

"You don't think shoes will be needed?" Hartley raised an eyebrow at him.

Axel looked down at Hartley's feet and then back up, looking even more confused than before. "You're already wearing shoes. Hartley rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but you're not." Hartley annoyed. Axel blinked and looked down at his own feet.

"I, uh, didn't bring any." Axel's face flushed red. "I don't know where my shoes are."

"Really? Do you only have a single pair of shoes?" Axel's face turned even more red and Hartley began to feel a little guilty. Well, at least that explained why Axel had been coming over with bare feet all week. Hartley had just figured that he was protesting against the use of shoes or something.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Hartley gestured for Axel to follow him back to his bedroom. Reaching into his closet again Hartley grabbed the falling apart shoes that Axel had left behind. "If I had known I would have returned this much sooner." Hartley gave the shoes back to a shocked Axel.

"You stole my shoes?" Axel's voice was a mix between shock, amusement, and a slight bit of betrayal.

"I didn't steal anything." Hartley rolled his eyes again. "You were about to leave them at the park. I grabbed them before we left."

"Oh, okay." Axel sat on the floor and put his shoes on. He didn't even bother untying the knot, he just slipped his feet into the sneaker, leaving the shoelace tied. "Thanks for grabbing them."

"No problem." Hartley held out a hand and helped Axel to his feet. He found it a little strange that Axel didn't question why Hartley had kept his shoes for all this time. He just seemed grateful to have gotten them back. Hartley tucked that information into the back of his mind, along with all of the other little Axel related oddities. Axel was still a mystery to him, and Hartley wasn't one to just let mysteries go unsolved.

"So, where are we off to." Hartley asked.

"You'll see." Axel said playfully before literally skipping off. Hartley shook his head and followed him. Once outside Hartley jogged for a bit to catch up with Axel, grabbed his hand and slowed him down to just a normal walk. Axel gave him a strange look, but Hartley didn't care because one strange look from Axel was better than everybody looking at them like they were a couple of immature freaks.

Hartley was all for Axel acting like himself, but not when they were out in public like this. There was acting strangely, and then there was begging for attention. Hartley wasn't doing this because he was afraid of being embarrassed by Axel, far from it. Hartley was just used to the judgemental looks that everybody threw his way, and Axel deserved better than to be looked at like that. Even if it meant conforming to society's unspoken rules when going out in public, Hartley wasn't going to let Axel be judged.

They walked for a fair while, with Axel getting them lost a time or two, until they arrived at their destination, which wasn't really what Hartley was expecting. He had thought that they would be going to Axel's apartment or something, not an old abandoned warehouse. Axel didn't hesitate in going to the door, smirking at Hartley mischievously and slipping inside.

Hartley followed closely behind and was stunned and impressed by the inside. The entire warehouse looked the backstage area of a haunted, abandoned gothic circus. Basically, it just screamed Axel.

"Is all of this stuff yours?" Hartley asked as he leaned in to get a closer look at what seemed to be a deformed teddy bear that had been taken apart and then carelessly put back together.

"Now it is." Axel dragged Hartley away from the bear before he could touch it. "Be careful and don't touch anything, okay? I still don't know what half of this stuff does."

"How can you not know?" Hartley asked suspiciously. Did Axel steal this stuff or something? And, if so, from where? Most of the things here looked handmade.

"Most of this stuff belonged to my dad." Axel explained. "When I found his old hideout I took some of his cooler stuff and added it to my own collection. It's okay though, he won't even notice that they're gone."

"That's...good to hear." Hartley glanced at all the oddities, a lot of which looked like either toys or weapons, or what seemed to be a strange combination of the two. Well, at least Hartley knew where Axel got his...uniqueness from.

"Come on, you can look at my other toys later." Axel pulled Hartley away from the 'toys' and into a smaller, much less cluttered room in the warehouse. The only thing in the room was a couple of mattresses and other cushioning, and a small table with, of all things, a pair of shoes on it.

"This is what I've been working on." Axel said.

"A pair of shoes?" Hartley all but scoffed.

"Your big project is a flute." Axel retorted. Hartley tilted his head to the side and shrugged, because Axel did kind of have a point there, Hartley could give him that much. "These aren't just normal shoes." Axel held them out to Hartley who hesitantly took them. Upon taking a closer look Hartley could see that the shoes had been tinkered with. There were small devices on that that, unless Hartley was mistaken, would allow the shoes and, by extent, their wearer, to-

"Fly?" Hartley muttered to himself in disbelief.

"Uh huh." Axel confirmed proudly. "Well, they can only hover right now, either that or fly completely out of control, but I'm working out the kinks."

"You made these?" Hartley asked in a quiet voice as he admired the work done. Yes, the technology was far from perfect, and seemed quite a bit dated, but Hartley still found himself becoming impressed, and he was not one to be impressed easily.

"Well, no." Axel frowned. "I think my dad did, but he gave up on them to pay attention to more exciting things I guess. I've been trying finish them, but I haven't gotten very far." If what Axel had said about the shoes even being able to hover, Hartley would have to disagree about how much progress had been made.

"I could help you with them." Hartley said almost too eagerly.

"Really?" Axel grinned.

"Absolutely." Hartley always jumped at the chance to work on the seemingly impossible. Especially if it was an independent project, so who wouldn't have to bother with so many people.

"That would be amazing." Axel surprised Hartley by practically tackling him into a hug. Hartley froze at the contact, because he really was not a touchy feely person. Over the past week he had at least learned to tolerate Axel's spontaneous hugs, which he gave quite often. Luckily this time the hug didn't last for very long, though that might have been because Axel had other things on his mind.

"Hey, do you want to test them out?" Axel asked as he reached out for the shoes. Hartley frowned and held them away from Axel.

"Absolutely not." Hartley said sternly. From what Axel had said Hartley didn't think that the shoes were decent enough for actual testing. If they just hovered, that would be just fine. Randomly flying out of control though, that was the opposite of fine. "It's not safe."

"I have mattresses." Axel pouted. "They basically cushion any crash landing that will happen."

"I said no." Hartley insisted coldly. "Not unless you want to go crashing headfirst into the wall."

Axel frowned and crossed his arms as if he was a child throwing a tantrum. He looked so disappointed that Hartley almost, almost changed his mind, but he didn't. Science could be potentially dangerous, and safety should always be the number one priority. Some people may believe that endangering one's life, or multiple people's lives, for the sake of science was a risk worth taking.

Hartley was not one of those people.

"Fine." Axel grumbled when Hartley didn't change his mind. "Can I show you something else?"

Hartley sighed. What was this kid trying to do? Impress him? Still, Hartley agreed and Axel's eyes brightened almost immediately. He grabbed Hartley's hand. "Come on." He said quickly, and, once again, Axel was dragging Hartley off to some unknown destination. They left the warehouse and headed back toward the bustle of the busy city. About five minutes later Axel led Hartley into an alleyway.

Axel grabbed the ladder from the fire escape for one of the buildings and quickly began climbing up it. Hartley climbed up after him.

"This is my favorite place in the world." Axel informed him as they scaled the fire escape. Hartley couldn't understand how a fire escape, or even the roof of an apartment building, could be somebody's favorite place.

The two of them climbed up onto the roof and when Hartley saw the view he thought he understood a little better. The building wasn't the tallest in Central City, but it did have one of the better views that Hartley had seen for a while. They could see the city stretched out beneath them and out in the distance they could even see the shore of the lake.

"Not bad." Hartley acknowledged. Axel grinned and sat down at the edge of the building, even going so far as to let his legs dangle over the side. Hartley didn't sit next to him, because that would be stupid and dangerous, but he did stand right behind Axel. Far enough from the edge to feel safe, but close enough that he could help Axel if he started to fall or something, which Hartley could definitely see happening.

"I love coming up here." Axel said, his voice more soft and serene than Hartley had ever heard from him before. "I don't know why, I just do."

Hartley suspected that Axel took pleasure in coming up here partially because he had a fondness of heights and a dream of flying. True, Axel had never actually said so, but Hartley had been able to piece things together himself. Axel's look of pure joy when they were just on the swings, the peace he felt on this roof. Axel even had a pair of shoes that would let him fly! It was obvious that Axel felt a connection with air.

Besides, the roof was a solitary place that was still a part of the city. Axel probably liked feeling like he was near people, while still not having any interaction with them. To be in the world, and yet above it at the same time.

Or, at least, that was what Hartley liked about this place.

Or who knows, maybe Axel just liked coming up here because it gave him an excuse to play on the fire escape and behave like a monkey.

Whatever the reason, this roof was special to Axel, and Hartley thought that it was good for him to have a place where he could unwind and slow down. Axel didn't run around, or shout, or break anything. He just sat there quietly, looking out at the city below him.

After a few minutes of standing around and feeling awkward Hartley sighed and, against his better judgement, sat next to Axel right at the edge. Axel looked over at him and smiled, and Hartley couldn't help but return the gesture. It wasn't very often that somebody genuinely smiled at him.

Axel sighed contently and leaned against Hartley, his head resting on his shoulder. Hartley didn't know how long the two of them were up there for, but honestly, he couldn't care less. Time didn't matter. Other people didn't matter. Up on that roof, the only things that even existed were him and Axel.

And Hartley was strangely okay with that.


	4. Chapter 4

Hartley had grown so used to Axel visiting him every day and stay for hours on end that after just two days of a slight break in the pattern Hartley noticed it and not only took note of it, but also become concerned.

For the next couple of days Hartley had to force himself to not involve himself in Axel's business. Honestly, it only made sense that Axel had a life that didn't revolve entirely around Hartley. But still, he couldn't help but notice that with every passing day Axel arrived later, left earlier, and just in general didn't seem like his usual hyperactive, cheerful self.

In fact, if Hartley didn't know any better he would say that Axel was acting borderline depressing.

That was what worried Hartley so much. Each day that passed Axel grew more and more quiet and subdued. He didn't complain or joke around as often, or try to steal Hartley's food. Axel seemed to also not be in the mood to do the things that he usually enjoyed. Even visiting Hartley's rat, Hamelin, failed to bring a smile to Axel's face.

Hartley assumed that Axel was just having an off day, or week, which wasn't anything to really worry about. Everybody had days like this sometimes, or, at least, Hartley did, so he could just assume that everybody else did too. As the days passed and Axel only seemed to get worse Hartley had to admit to himself that this was more than just a couple of off days. Something was wrong with Axel.

Hartley wasn't usually the type of person who understood human emotions. He always felt incredibly awkward when other people cried because he didn't know what to do about it, so he usually just left them alone. Hartley's strategy for dealing with emotion people was to leave them to themselves and let them work out their issues on their own.

With Axel though, Hartley felt like he should do more. He didn't know whether it was because he felt closer to Axel than he ever had to anybody else, and he just didn't like seeing him like this. Or if he felt obligated to help Axel because he saw him as a little kid, somebody who needs other people to help him, because he couldn't help himself.

As the days passed Hartley tried to figure out just how to go about helping Axel, because he had never done something like this before. He never cared enough about somebody to even try. Now though, he did care. Hartley cared a lot.

Which was why when the day came that Axel didn't come to visit him at all Hartley decided that it was time for him to make a move. He didn't know exactly how he would go about helping Axel, but Hartley knew that he had to do something.

So after a full day of not being around Axel and just knowing that something was wrong, Hartley put on his hoodie, left his home and made his way to Axel's place.

Hartley had never been to Axel's apartment before, but he knew the address. Axel had told him where he lived a few weeks ago, but this was just the first time that Hartley felt any need to go there. And, though Axel had shared his address, he had never actually asked Hartley to come over.

When Hartley arrived at the right apartment building he understood why.

The place was an absolute dump. The building looked like it was just a few bad hits away from toppling to the ground. Hartley looked down at the crumpled up piece of paper that Axel had scribbled the address on to confirm that, yes, this was the right place. Hartley sighed, made his way inside, and began searching for the right apartment.

Once he had found the place Hartley knocked on the door and, for a minute, just waited. There was no answer and if Hartley was anybody else he would have assumed that Axel wasn't home. Hartley had very keen hearing though, so he could hear slight movement coming from inside the apartment. Just some rustling and muttering, but still, Hartley took it as confirmation that Axel was there.

Since he wasn't answering his door though Hartley had to let himself in. If needed he could easily pick the lock, because that was something that he had taught himself how to do years ago. However when he tried to just open the door normally Hartley found that it wouldn't be necessary, because the door was already unlocked.

Even though the door and lock didn't look like the had been tampered with Hartley knew that there was a possibility of the person in the apartment being somebody other than Axel. Cautiously Hartley slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

The apartment, if one could call it that, was a small, shabby, one room place. While it was small Hartley was relieved that it at least wasn't cramped and crowded, even though that was only because there didn't seem to be many belongings to take up the space.

The rustling was coming from the bed and Hartley could recognize Axel's form curled up on it. It appeared as though Axel was restlessly trying, and failing, to get some sleep.

"What are you doing?" Hartley asked almost accusingly. It was the middle of the afternoon and Axel usually didn't even try to go to bed until after midnight. Something weird was definitely going on here.

"Sleepin'." Axel muttered as he rolled over and pulled the covers over his head. Hartley frowned, walked over to the bed and pulled the blankets away. Axel whimpered and curled into a ball, but didn't get up.

"Come on, Axel, What's going on with you?" Hartley all but growled.

"Nothing." Axel mumbled. "I'm just tired."

"Axel, I've known you for weeks now and I've never seen you tired before. Let alone so tired that you attempt to fall asleep in the middle of the day." Hartley furrowed his brow in concern "Are you sick or something?" Because, honestly, Hartley didn't know what else would make him act like this.

Axel frowned, a thoughtful look on his face. After thinking about it for a moment he slowly shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think I am."

Hartley sighed and put the back of his hand against Axel's forehead. It didn't feel like he had a fever, which was a good sign. "Does your stomach hurt?" Hartley asked.

"Well, yeah, but…" Right then Axel's stomach grumbled loudly and Hartley knew exactly why his stomach was hurting A red tint came to Axel's face and he turned away from Hartley, an embarrassed look on his face. Hartley crossed his arms and glared sternly at his friend.

"Axel, when was the last time you ate something?" Hartley said in a scolding turn.

Axel pouted and sat up. "Yesterday morning, I think." He said quietly.

"If you have to think about it, it's been too long." Hartley grabbed Axel's arm and literally dragged him out of his bed. Axel yelped slightly in surprise and protest.

"What are you doing?" Axel protested loudly.

"Taking you out to eat something." Hartley said. One quick glance into the kitchen area of the apartment had told Hartley that there was hardly any food here. If he wanted Axel to eat some real food, and he did, then they would have to go somewhere else to do it.

"No!" Axel screamed and pulled away from Hartley's grasp.

"Axel, what's the matter with you?" Hartley asked irritably. His frustration became concern when he saw that Axel actually looked scared. The young man was shaking and looking at the ground, though Hartley could see tears in his eyes.

"Don't make me leave." Axel pleaded quietly. "They all hate me, and look at me, and...I don't want them to. They're going to do something bad to me, I just know it! Please, don't make me be near them."

Hartley blinked in confusion. Just who was this 'them' that Axel was talking about? And why would he be so afraid of them like this? Not wanting to see his friend so upset, but also knowing that he had to get Axel to eat something, Hartley came up with a plan.

"Here." Hartley pulled off his hoodie and slipped it over Axel's head so that he was now the one wearing it. Hartley adjusted the hood so that it would obscure most of Axel's face. "If they can't see who you are, then they won't do anything bad to you, because they won't know who you are."

Axel clung tightly to Hartley's arm as if it was a lifeline and nodded. Even Hartley, who wasn't really good at reading emotions, could tell that Axel was still scared, but at least he trusted that Hartley wouldn't let anything happen to him.

It still took quite a bit of coaxing, but Hartley was finally about to get Axel to come outside with him. Axel clung tightly to Hartley's arm and kept his head low. He trudged slowly along, forcing Hartley to match his pace, because he didn't want to drag Axel anywhere. The walk was slow, silent, and both of them had a feeling of nervousness about them as they went.

In short, things were completely opposite of what Hartley was used to it being when he was around Axel.

Not knowing what his friend would want, or even be willing, to eat, Hartley just brought them to the first place he could think of. A favorite italian restaurant of his that had decent food and wasn't ridiculously overpriced like many of the other restaurants that he liked. Since it was the middle of the afternoon, with lunch time having been hours ago, but it still being too soon for most people to normally eat dinner, the restaurant was fairly empty, which Hartley appreciated greatly. And, judging by the way that Axel seemed to relax when they entered the restaurant, he was also glad for lack of people.

Hartley took it upon himself to just order for the both of them, which Axel didn't seem to mind at all. As they waited for their food to arrive Hartley noticed that Axel seemed far more relaxed and more like himself than he had earlier that day. He was smiling slightly and Hartley could feel Axel kicking his legs back and forth. He was even humming a little bit.

"What's got you in a good mood?" Hartley asked. Axel shrugged and grabbed a breadstick from the basket on their table. He took a large bite out of it.

"Nothing much. I just...I like the atmosphere of this place, I guess." Axel said while he still had bread in his mouth. Normally Hartley would be disgusted, but he couldn't bring himself to be now. He was just happy to see Axel eating something.

""It is rather cosy." Hartley agreed. "I'm glad you are happy with my restaurant choice. I wasn't sure if you would like Italian."

Time time a true smile came over Axel's face. "I love Italian food." He snickered ever so slightly. "It would be really ironic if I didn't like it."

"Oh? And why is that?" Hartley leaned forward, and intrigued yet somewhat patronizing look on his face.

Axel glanced around and also leaned forward, as if he was about to share a big secret. Speaking in a loud stage whisper Axel said. "Because I'm half Italian."

Hartley blinked in shock, because while he had not had any idea what Axel had been about to say, he certainly hadn't expected that. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously." Axel smiled. "On my dad's side."

"I thought you didn't like your dad." Hartley pointed out and Axel's smile dropped.

"Yeah, I kinda don't." Axel confirmed. He played a bit with his only half eaten breadstick. "He changed after coming to America. He changed his name and everything. But my mom says that he used to be the funnest and nicest guy when she met him in Italy, which was why she fell in love with him. She even gave me his name, I guess in hopes that I would grow up to be more like the man that she used to know, and not the man he had become."

Axel sighed slightly and shook his head. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"It's fine." Hartley assured him. "What did you mean when you said your mom gave you your father's name? Axel isn't Italian."

"No, I meant my middle name." Axel said.

"Well, no you have to tell me what your middle name is." Hartley smirked slyly. Axel pouted.

"Fine, but only if you tell me yours." Axel took a deep breath and said. "My middle name is Giovanni." He didn't pronounce the first 'I' in the name, like Hartley had heard many Americans do.

"Mine is Alexander." Hartley said, which made Axel smile again.

"Hartley Alexander." Axel nodded. "It suits you."

"So does yours, Axel Giovanni." Hartley found it appropriate that Axel's middle name was so similar to the Italian word 'Giovane', which meant 'young', because Axel really did behave much younger than his age.

"No it doesn't." Axel whined. "My name is all mixed. Yours matches though, both of your names sound fancy."

"Well, I think your name suits you." Hartley said with finality. "It's cute." Axel nodded his understanding, but then froze and looked at Hartley strangely.

"Did you just say that I'm cute?" Fortunately their food happened to arrive at that moment and Hartley was spared from having to come up with an explanation. Hartley was used to calling guys hot, attractive, or even sexy, but it wasn't often that he used the words cute or adorable. And yet, those were the two words that came to his mind when Hartley thought about Axel.

He just didn't know if he thought of Axel as cute meaning like a little kid, or cute as in 'he's attractive and I wouldn't mind going out with him'. That would take some more thinking about.

Hartley ate his Penne all'arrabbiata and chuckled slightly at Axel, who was giggling at the 'butterfly noodles' in his Chicken Alfredo, which was made with farfalle pasta. Hartley didn't know if Axel was aware that 'farfalle' was actually the Italian word for 'butterflies'. Whether he was or not, Axel's amusement was contagious.

When the two of them had eaten their fill Hartley put the rest of the food in take-out boxes. Neither of them had gotten even close to finishing their meal, Axel hadn't even eaten half of his, and Hartley hadn't done much better. But that just meant that there would be more for leftovers later.

Hartley, being the one who actually had money, paid for their food and the two of them left. Once they were outside the restaurant and once again walking down the streets of the city Axel became drawn back and nervous again. Not nearly as much as before, but still bad enough that it was noticeable.

Hartley didn't like seeing Axel so uncomfortable, and he considered just taking him home and away from all these people, but he decided against it. The fresh air seemed to be doing Axel some good, and Hartley thought it would be best if they were out here for just a bit longer.

Though maybe not a place that was so public.

"Do you want to go to your favorite place." Hartley asked, speaking of the roof of the apartment building that Axel had shown him. That roof was a place that Axel liked to go to calm down, and Hartley believed he would like to be there now. To Hartley's shock Axel shook his head.

"No, I probably shouldn't." Axel said quietly. "I promised myself I wouldn't go up there when I'm like this."

"What do you mean?" Hartley was confused. Why would Axel promise himself something like that? If being on that stupid roof made him feel better when he was upset, why shouldn't he go there during his down days? Then Hartley realized the implications of the last words of Axel's sentence, that this mood of his had not only happened before, but relatively regularly.

"Do you get like this often?" Hartley asked, because yes, while most everybody had off days every once and awhile, to have so many of them in a row for no reason was not exactly normal. Especially if it happened frequently.

"Not that often." Axel assured him, which made Hartley feel relieved for a second, but that relief went away when Axel continued. "Just every month or so."

"That's your definition of not often?" Hartley raised his voice slightly, which caused Axel to shrink away from him a bit. "And how long do these depressive periods usually last?"

"Usually just a couple of weeks." Axel muttered and his eyes became dark. "And I'm not depressive."

Hartley wasn't so sure of that. He knew that whatever was going on with Axel wasn't normal, but it also didn't exactly sound like depression to him. Hartley didn't know what, if anything, was wrong if Axel, but he intended to find out.

Until then, Hartley swore to himself that he was going to be keeping a closer eye on Axel from this point out. He had only just made his first true friend, and Hartley wasn't about to let anything happen to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Axel's funk lasted longer than Hartley thought that it would, and during that time the responsibility of meeting up with each other fell on Hartley's shoulders. He had a hard time getting used to this new Axel, but Hartley believed he was getting the hang of it.

Axel was still Axel, after all. He still liked explosions, heights, games and sugar, just like before. He just wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about his interests as he used to be. Axel assured him that this was just a temporary thing, that he would go back to normal soon enough. Hartley certainly hoped that this was true, because there was only so many more times where he would be able to handle Axel bursting into tears for reasons that neither of them really understood.

Every morning Hartley would make his way over to Axel's apartment, they would spend some time together, and then Hartley would drag Axel back over to his place. Not only was his home larger, it was also more, well, homey. Axel seemed to prefer being at Hartley's place too, so it wasn't as if he was complaining about it.

One day Hartley was reading a book while Axel, who was in a surprisingly content mood today, sat cross legged on the floor and played with Hamelin. A few days prior Axel had asked if he could try to play Hartley's flute. He had reluctantly agreed, and was glad that he had, as it had caused him so much amusement over these past few days.

Axel had yet to get a proper sound out of the flute, but it was fun to see him try. Hartley had tried countless times to show Axel how to hold the flute and blow into it to produce a long, clear note. But whenever he handed it back to Axel the young man would blow over the mouth hole, and the only sound they could hear was air.

Despite this, Axel never stopped trying to play it. Hartley shook his head in amusement and tried to focus on his book. He knew that someday Axel would probably find the right embouchure. Until then the only music that would be heard would be from Hartley himself, or one of his numerous cd's.

Hartley watched Axel struggle with his flute for a few minutes before rolling his eyes and turning his focus to his book. Hartley wasn't usually the type of person to not notice what was going on around him when he concentrated on something. Hartley tuned out distractions, but he was still at least somewhat aware of the world around him.

Hartley must have been off his game that day because he didn't even notice when his cell phone rang. He was only made aware that somebody had called him when Axel practically shoved the phone in his face.

"It's for you." Axel said, as if that information was necessary. It was Hartley's cell phone. Who else would they be calling for? "Some guy named Cisco."

Hartley scowled and snatched the phone away from Axel. What could Cisco possibly be calling him about? Had Team Flash once again stumble upon a problem that they couldn't figure out without his help? Honestly, Hartley sincerely wondered how they had made it all this time without him.

Axel grinned innocently and sat next to Hartley on the couch. "Who's Cisco? Is he your boyfriend?"

Hartley was stunned into silence for a moment at the ridiculousness of the question. Once he had gathered his thoughts Hartley glared at Axel in annoyance. "You know very well that I don't have a boyfriend, and if I did it most certainly wouldn't be Cisco." Hartley shuddered at the very idea.

"Oh...so who is he?" Axel asked curiously.

"He's just somebody from work." Hartley said as he put the phone up to his ear. Axel stared at him in shock.

"Wait, you have friends at work?" Axel asked with real confusion in his voice. Hartley cast an annoyed look at Axel before, finally, addressing the man who had called him.

"Cisco, what do you want?" Hartley said, skipping the niceties. He was fairly certain that this wasn't a social call, so why should he treat it as one?

"Dude, who was the guy that answered your phone?" Cisco's voice came through the phone and Hartley had to roll his eyes. It seemed that he was as focused as ever. "Did you get a boyfriend without telling us?"

"He's not my boyfriend." Hartley all but shouted. "He's just a normal friend." Honestly, was that so hard to believe?

There was silence on the other end for a few moments before Cisco's surprise filled voice came through again. "You have a friend?" Hartley groaned and ran a hand through his hair. Alright, so apparently it was hard to believe that he had any friends...that was good to know.

"My life is none of your business, Cisco." Hartley said shortly. "Now if you don't tell me what you called me for in the next six seconds I will-"

"Hey, man, just chill, okay?" Cisco said defensively. 'Look, nothing is really going on over here, so I suggested that we all go to a bar to unwind or something tonight. We all agreed that, since you're an unofficial part of the team now we should at least invite you."

"How thoughtful." Hartley said dryly. "Sadly, I'm going to have to pass. I'm not in much of a drinking mood tonight."

"Are you guys going to a bar?" Axel asked a little too loudly. Hartley sighed and shook his head.

"No, we're not." He said at the same time as Cisco, who had apparently heard Axel's question over the phone answered "Yes, we are."

"Well, 'm not going to a bar." Hartley corrected himself.

"Why not?" Axel whined. "You're so boring. You never go anywhere. Why can't we go to a bar?"

"We?" Hartley raised an eyebrow. "You were never invited."

"You can bring your friend if you want to." Cisco said suddenly. "Seriously, I mean it. I've got to see this guy for myself."

"Oh my god." Hartley groaned. He glared at Axel tiredly. "You're not going to stop bugging me about this, are you?" Axel shook his head and Hartley sighed. "Fine, we'll meet you there." He spoke into his phone.

"Great. We'll be at that karaoke bar that's just off of main street. See you there...or not.." And Cisco hung up without another word. Hartley turned off his phone and shot a glare at Axel, whose grin dampened at the harsh, cold look.

"What?" Axel asked tensely and defensively.

"Why would you want to go out? I thought you didn't want to be around people right now." Hartley reminded him. Axel frowned.

"I don't, I just...I don't know." Axel muttered to himself. He was clearly feeling conflicted. "I don't exactly want to be around people right now, but I can't stand being inside all the time. It's driving me insane."

Hartley's expression lightened slightly. So Axel was feeling a little stir crazy? Honestly, Hartley should have expected as much. Axel was an energetic individual. Even if he had been feeling a little moody for the past while he still had all that energy, except now he wasn't doing anything with it. Maybe it would do Axel some good to get out for a few hours.

Hartley sighed in annoyance and frustration and stood up. He grabbed Axel's hand and dragged him to his feet as well. "Come on," Hartley encouraged half-heartedly. "I'm sure there won't be that many people there." That was a lie. "And none of my associates will give you any trouble."

"They won't?" Axel seemed completely perplexed at the idea of somebody not giving him trouble for...whatever. Hartley still didn't understand what Axel thought people had against him.

"Of course they won't." Hartley scoffed a little at the idea. "I won't let them." Axel looked shocked at his words for a moment before he smiled, which made Hartley relax. It had been too long since he had seen Axel genuinely smile.

"Okay," Axel said, and by the tone of his voice Hartley could tell that he was once again excited to get out of the house for a bit. It always surprised Hartley, and gave him a bit of a headache, that Axel would change his mind about something so quickly. "Let's go."

Hartley shook his head at Axel's enthusiasm. He picked up the flute that Axel had carelessly left on the floor, as well as Hamelin, and went to return them to his room. While he was in there Hartley grabbed his hoodie and put it on, and without thinking grabbed Axel's umbrella, which had been sitting around in Hartley's closet ever since that first day that they had met.

Umbrella in hand Hartley returned to the main room to find Axel waiting impatiently for him. It looked like Axel couldn't wait to walk out the door, but Hartley knew that he wasn't ready to go yet. Just by listening carefully one would be able to tell that it was storming pretty badly outside, and yet Axel wasn't wearing a jacket, or even a proper shirt. Just a black and white striped tank top.

Hartley huffed in annoyance, picked up Axel's leather jacket from where he had left it on the floor, and tossed it to him. Axel caught it and glared slightly at Hartley, who was more than happy to return the glare.

"Do not look at me like that." Hartley said sharply. "We're not going anywhere unless you wear that. I don't want to have to deal with you if you get sick on me."

"You keep on saying that, but I haven't gotten sick yet." Axel pointed out before muttering under his breath, "And I wouldn't need you to take care of me. I can handle myself."

"We both know that's a lie." Hartley snorted, causing Axel's glare to darken. Hartley decided to tone down the teasing from that point on, because while this may be one of Axel's better days, it seemed as if the smallest thing might just set him off, and Hartley didn't want to do that.

Deciding that the best thing to do was to just get out, get to the bar, and get this whole night over with, Hartley grabbed Axel's arm and dragged him outside. Axel was still grumbling to himself, but he didn't fight against Hartley, and he hadn't expected him to. It seemed that while Axel was in this mood he was very much a follower.

Axel wasn't very motivated to think of what he wanted to do, or even to do something at all. So he just followed along with whatever Hartley said. Sometimes, like tonight, Axel would express his interest in wanting to do something, and yet Hartley still had to practically force Axel to do those things as well.

Even though the karaoke bar that Cisco said they were meeting at wasn't too far, Hartley and Axel still caught a cab to get there, because neither of them really wanted to go walking around in the rain at the moment. Axel was tense and quiet during the ride, and it wasn't until they arrived at their destination did he say anything to Hartley.

"Do you think your friends will like me?" Axel asked quietly.

"First off, they're not my friends." Hartley said automatically. "And why should it matter if they like you? I thought you didn't care about anybody else's opinion." Axel frowned and looked at the ground.

"I'm tired of people hating me." Axel said quietly.

"I understand that." Hartley reassured him. "Really, I do. But you shouldn't let this fear stop you from meeting new people. Not everybody in this world is going to end up hating you. I don't."

Axel grinned slightly. "Yeah, you don't." He admitted.

"And I doubt that my 'friends', as you call them, will either. There aren't many people that they actually hate." Hartley lead the way inside. "Just don't be so worried about it. Things will be fine. I promise." Hartley's attempts to cheer up Axel sounded halfhearted, at best, but considering he wasn't naturally a sympathetic person Hartley thought that he did a well enough job.

Hartley was spared from trying to figure out what else to say to Axel because they had entered into the bar at that point, and were immediately noticed by Cisco.

"Hey, Piper, I didn't expect to see you here so soon." Cisco seemed to appear out of nowhere, with Caitlin right by his side, and Hartley scowled, already irritated by Cisco just being in his presence.

"Don't call me that." Hartley said shortly.

"Hey, if you're gonna come up with your own name, the least you can do is let me use it when I want." Cisco said in that annoying way of his. Hartley hated when Cisco acted like this. It reminded him of a spoiled child who thought he could do whatever he wanted, just because he felt like it.

Cisco's attention turned to Axel, and he looked surprised to see him there. "Is this your friend? Huh, I didn't actually think you would bring him." There was another look in Cisco's eyes. Confusion. He continued just staring at him for a moment, which just made Axel tense. After a bit a look of recognition came over Cisco's face, though the confusion still remained.

"Trickster?" Cisco asked unsurely. Hartley was confused as to why he would say that, though judging by the way that Axel flinched at the term and clung tighter to Hartley's arm, it did mean something to him. Cisco looked at Hartley. "How do you two know each other?" There was just the slightest bit of judgement in Cisco's voice, but it was enough to make Hartley bristle.

"That is really none of your business, Cisco." Hartley all but growled. He looked at Axel, who was still clutching tightly to him, shaking ever so slightly. "Axel, stay here with Caitlin. I need to talk to Cisco for a minute." Hartley shot a warning look at Caitlin, just daring her to do or say anything to hurt Axel. Hartley gently forced Axel's finger away from his arm and pulled Cisco into a more solitary corner where they could have a conversation.

"What is your problem?" Hartley hissed when they were alone. "What do you have against Axel?"

"Nothing." Cisco said quickly. "But, dude, you gotta know, your friend is dangerous. He-"

"Fought against The Flash before." Hartley finished for him. He rolled his eyes at Cisco's questioning look. "I'm not an idiot. You don't give people nicknames unless they have powers or have fought against The Flash."

"Well if you know that Barry's faced him, then you know that he's not a good person." Cisco pointed out.

Hartley crossed his arms, unamused. "You mean like me? Surely you haven't forgotten already that I also faced Flash."

"Well, yeah," Cisco admitted reluctantly. "But that was different."

"How so?" Hartley raised an eyebrow. "Does Axel have dangerous powers that he can't control?"

"Not that I know of." Cisco said after thinking about it for a moment.

"Is he wanted by the police?"

"Well, not exactly." Cisco said. "He was caught and sent to prison, but he was let out again."

"If they thought that it was safe to let him go, what exactly do you have against him?" Hartley asked, and when Cisco didn't answer immediately he frowned. "That's what I thought. Look, I'm not expecting any of you to be quick friends with Axel, but I would appreciate it if you did not give him a hard time because of his past. He's going through enough right now without you morons screwing things up."

Cisco let out an offended noise, but Hartley ignored him. Having said what he had wanted to he returned to where Caitlin and Axel were. It appeared as though in their absence the two of them had gotten drinks, and Hartley was relieved to see that Axel was a little more relaxed now that he had a beer in his hand.

"How were things over here?" Hartley asked. He looked at Axel meaningfully. "We can leave, if you want."

"No, I'm fine." Axel said with a grin, but Hartley could tell that he was faking it. Still, if Axel wanted to give this a try, who was Hartley to force him away?

The four of them went to find a table and only then did Hartley notice that there seemed to be somebody missing from the group.

"Am I the only one who finds it ironic that Barry is always late for everything?" Hartley asked. Cisco and Caitlin looked at each other.

"He said that he would be here." Caitlin said unsurely.

"He probably got held up by, uh, work." Cisco said with a quick glance to Axel.

"No doubt about that." Hartley, for once, agreed with Cisco. It seemed like Barry was always getting caught up in his Flash business. Although, from what Hartley had heard, Barry had been having problems with running late even before he had gotten his powers. Somebody should probably teach Barry about the importance of punctuality.

By the time Barry arrived Hartley already had a pretty good idea of just how the rest of this night was going to be...disastrous. It seemed that Caitlin, with all of the skills that she had, and the professional air that she put on, was a girl that couldn't handle her alcohol. If Hartley didn't know any better he would think that this was the first time that Caitlin had ever gotten drunk before. And the more she drank, the more drunk she became, and the more drunk she was the more drinks she wanted to have. It was a vicious cycle, and Hartley was glad that he didn't have to put up with her and the massive hangover she would surely have in the morning.

Cisco was also drinking a fair amount. Unlike Caitlin though, he seemed capable of keeping his dignity...well, what little dignity he had. While Caitlin was acting all hyper and, in Hartley's opinion, childish and immature, basically, she was acting, well, drunk. Cisco on the other hand seemed to have his act together. He was definitely more talkative and enthusiastic than usual, which was saying something, but other than that, he was just normal Cisco.

As for Axel...Hartley had no idea what was going on with him. He had thought that bringing Axel to a bar would be a bad idea. Axel was hyperactive or depressive enough without the added help of alcohol. And yet, Axel didn't seem affected by the alcohol in the way that Hartley had suspected.

Axel wasn't acting all hyper, like Caitlin. He wasn't even getting even more depressed than he had been before. The only thing that the alcohol seemed to do to Axel was make him tired. Not that Hartley was complaining. He would rather deal with an Axel who wanted to use him as a pillow and take a nap than an Axel who was going to destroy the bar.

"I see you guys started without me." Barry noted when he finally bothered to arrive. He took a seat at the table next to Caitlin, who hugged him enthusiastically and started talking about whatever nonsense was on her mind. Hartley ignored her.

"That's what happens when you don't bother showing up." Hartley said unapologetically.

"Hey, it was not my fault this time." Barry said. "Some guys started stirring up trouble, and The Flash had to deal with them." Hartley could have hit Barry then. Did he not even realize how annoying it was that whenever he did anything the smallest bit impressive he would either get big headed about it or complain about how he's not better? And if Barry wasn't so self absorbed he would have noticed that it wasn't just the four of them there.

"What's that got to do with you?" Axel frowned and lifted his head off of Hartley's shoulder. "Whatever that jerk is up to shouldn't stop you from getting places at a decent time."

Hartley sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He should have known that Axel wasn't going to be the biggest Flash fan. And if Barry recognized Axel like Cisco had, than Hartley could see this night only ending badly.

"What are you doing here?" Barry said, his tone equal parts defensive and accusing.

"He's with me." Hartley said immediately. He grabbed Axel's arm and dragged him away from the table. "We'll be right back." He quickly told the others before taking Axel someplace where he could have a word with him.

"I don't think your friends like me very much." Axel said when they were alone. He pulled away from Hartley's grip and crossed his arms. Axel looked like he was annoyed, but Hartley was fairly certain that his stance was more defensive than anything.

"Don't worry about them, Barry's just a big fan of The Flash, and he takes everything said about him personally." Hartley said. "I do understand where your dislike for Flash comes from though, I used to feel the same way."

"Really?" Axel's tense stance loosened slightly in his surprise.

"Of course. I mean, he does have the annoying habit of getting in the way of your plans." Hartley was willing to admit that much.

"My plans." Axel muttered with a scoff "More like my father's plans."

"Well, whatever the case, how about we just play it civil tonight? If you keep your Flash hatred to a minimum, then later I will let you bitch and moan about him all you like."

Axel smirked slightly. "You know I'm going to hold you to that."

"I'm counting on it." Hartley gestured his head back to the others and the two of them returned to the table. Axel sat as far from Barry as he could, which just happened to be the seat next to Cisco. Axel looked like he felt incredibly awkward, as if he had just realized that maybe going out that night hadn't been such a bright idea.

Cisco, who wasn't really a fan of awkwardness like this decided to take matters into his own hands and, for once, did something useful.

"Hey, guys, this is a karaoke bar, so why don't we have some singing going on here." Cisco's eyes passed right over Caitlin and onto Hartley and Barry. "Come on you two, I know you want to."

Axel's eyes widened and he looked at Hartley in shock. "You can sing?"

Hartley snorted to himself. "Axel, you know how into music I am. I think it would have been safe to guess that I can sing."

"But I haven't heard you sing." Axel whined. "It's not fair that Cisco's heard you sing, and you don't even like him."

"Eh, he's got a point." Cisco smirked mischievously and Hartley could tell just what he was thinking. Cisco turned to Axel. "Come on, I'm sure between the two of us we can find something for him to sing up there." Axel grinned deviously and Hartley realized that he was in trouble. The two of them ran off to go look at the song options, and Hartley wondered how he hadn't realized earlier just how similar Axel and Cisco were.

Hartley should have realized that they would have bonded over their shared hobby of picking on him. Despite not being of a fan of being the butt of someone else's joke, Hartley wasn't actually too bitter about it. If Axel could enjoy something about tonight, it would be worth it...maybe.

Although watching the two of them snicker over different song choices was not very encouraging.

"Are you sure that having him here is a good idea?" Barry asked Hartley quietly, his voice suggested that he thought that it was the worst idea in the world. Hartley glared harshly at him.

"What is your problem with him?" Hartley asked harshly.

"My problem with him is that he is not a good person." Barry said angrily, which caught Hartley off guard, because Barry Allen didn't actually get angry very often.

"And how would you know? You barely even know him." Hartley said. "Cisco told me that you fought against him once, he was sent to prison, he was let out, so get over it."

"Maybe I don't agree with their decision to set him free." Barry said darkly, which made Hartley even angrier.

"What are you going to do about it? Throw Axel in your own little makeshift prison?" Hartley was still sore about those confinement cells under S.T.A.R. Labs that they had used to imprison dangerous meta-humans. He had been confined in one of those cells for a short time, and it was not an experience he was about to repeat, or one that he wanted Axel to go through either.

"Look, Barry, I'm not asking you to like him, but you sure as hell had better not hurt him." Hartley said warningly. Barry should remember what Hartley was like when someone got on his bad side.

"He's the one you should worry about hurting people." Barry warned, which confused Hartley slightly. Barry wasn't a mean spirited person. He wasn't usually this unforgiving towards the people he fought against. What had Axel done to get Barry to talk about him like this?

"Why are you making this personal?" Hartley asked.

Barry shrugged and took a drink, thought they both knew it wouldn't do any good to get him drunk. "He and the first Trickster had gone after my dad." He said simply, as if it explained everything. The only thing it explained to Hartley was that this was yet another example of Barry being sensitive about people trying to hurt those that he cared about. He doesn't easily forgive something like that. In Hartley's opinion, he just took things way too personally.

It wasn't too long after that that Cisco and Axel returned to the table, and, based on the looks on their faces Hartley was sure he wouldn't enjoy this one bit. Hartley sighed and crossed his arms.

"Let's just get this over with." He mutered. He looked at the two of them in annoyance, challenging them to do their worst. "What did you come up with?" Cisco smirked and passed over the name of their chosen song, and Hartley groaned inwardly when he saw it.

They had chosen that stupid song from that played at the end of the movie Dirty Dancing. Some people were fans of the song, but Hartley wasn't one of them. Romance was his least favorite song genre, and Axel had been perfectly aware of that. There was one flaw in their decision though.

"This is a duet." Hartley pointed out. "I'm not singing it on my own."

"Ooh, I'll be your singing partner." Caitlin cut in. She took Hartley's hand and dragged him up to the stage before he could put up any resistance. He looked back at Axel and Cisco, and even Barry who were all clearly amused by this situation they had put him in. Singing a karaoke song was bad enough, but with Caitlin when she was drunk? This wasn't going to be fun.

Hartley was still going to go through with it though, despite the fact that he didn't want to. If he backed down Cisco and Axel would never let him hear the end of it, and Axel would probably pout about it for god only knows how long. Hartley wasn't afraid of doing this. The two of them thought that he would be humiliated by doing this, but he wouldn't be. Hartley didn't feel humiliated, he felt annoyed.

And annoyance was something that he could deal with. He dealt with them all the time. Why should this one be any different?

Hartley climbed onto the stage with Caitlin. He could see the others all sitting at the table, waiting to enjoy the show. Hartley smirked when he saw that Axel had apparently started feeling sleepy again and was now lying with his head against the table. He had taken his jacket off and was using it as a pillow. Hartley found it humorous that Axel had gone to all this trouble to get Hartley up on this stage, and he was going to be too tired to appreciate it fully.

Hartley was the one who had started the song off, and it was probably a good thing that he was because if Caitlin had been the first of the two of them to sing, Hartley would have left the stage right then. He had really not expected Caitlin to be so enthusiastic about singing, which would have been fine, if only she didn't sing so off key. It made Hartley's ears hurt just thinking about her singing.

And, to make matters worse, Caitlin was so drunk and was getting so into the song that after the first chorus she had taken Hartley completely by surprise and actually kissed him. This brought on a couple of catcalls from their 'audience', and loud laughter from their friends. Hartley's face flushed red, and it was absolutely infuriating to him. He shouldn't let himself get flustered so easily.

There was a short instrumental break after the second chorus and Hartley took that time to actually see the others' reactions. He was surprised to see Cisco, not by the table, but right in front of the stage with his phone out as he recorded the whole thing. He was probably doing it for Axel's benefit, so he could appreciate it properly later.

Speaking of Axel, Hartley had a bad feeling about Axel and Barry now being alone together at that table. Hartley glanced out to where they were sitting just in time for him to see an upset looking Axel run off, leaving an angry looking Barry alone. Hartley felt a cold fury come over him. He had told Barry to do just one thing, and yet he had screwed that up.

Song forgotten Hartley jumped off the stage and shoved his way past Cisco and anybody else who stood in his way. He didn't stop until he got back to their table, and the first thing he did once he got there was express just how frustrated he was with Barry.

By punching him in the face.

His hit sent Barry staggering back a bit, which was pathetic, really. Hartley had seen him take hits much worse than that before. Hartley shoved Barry against the wall harshly.

"What did you say to him?" Hartley growled, even as Cisco tried to pull him away from Barry. "Why can't any of you just leave him alone?"

"Stop acting like we're bullying him." Barry frowned. "I'm sorry if I told him where I stand about punishments for terrorists."

"Terrorist?" Hartley was thrown off by that and Cisco took the opportunity to get him out of arm's reach of Barry. "Axel's not-"

"Uh, sorry dude, but he kinda was." Cisco said apologetically.

"And probably still is." Barry said bluntly.

Hartley still didn't believe it. He knew Axel, and he was no terrorist. Sure, he could get violent at times, and he was a fan of explosives. And Axel had showed that he could be spiteful and occasionally took pleasure in things that made other people suffer...but none of that meant anything!

Right?

Hartley was curious now more than ever about Axel's past and exactly who he was, but his curiosities would have to be satisfied later. For now, Axel needed him. For the past few weeks Axel had been incredibly sensitive, with the slightest thing setting him off, and what had just happened was not a slight little thing.

On top of that, it was still storming outside, Hartley still had Axel's umbrella, and it looked like Axel had left his jacket at the table. He was going to get soaked out there.

Hartley wanted to find Axel as soon as possible, but as he began to head out to search Barry grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Wait a second." Barry said, a pleading tone in his voice. "You should know exactly who it is you're dealing with before you go looking for him."

Hartley narrowed his eyes, but saw that this was something that Barry was going to stay firm about. "You had better make this quick."

Between Barry and Cisco the whispered explanation was quick. He knew that Barry, and perhaps Cisco, had been hoping that he would change his mind about being friends with Axel after hearing the whole story. On the contrary, after listening to what they had to say Hartley was beginning to have second thoughts about having them as his 'friends'.

"So you're telling me that neither of you trust Axel because he was naive enough to be tricked by a man named Trickster, who is so manipulative that he talked his psychologist into committing suicide?" Did either of them realize just how unfair that was? Judging by the guilty expression on Cisco's face, he did realize it.

"Well, when you say it like that-" Cisco trailed off. Hartley, more than fed up with the two of them, grabbed Axel's jacket and umbrella and ran out of the bar to find his friend.

"Hartley, wait!" It was the last thing that he wanted to do, but Hartley paused when Cisco called out to him. Cisco caught up with him, a determined look on his face. "Let me help you look for him."

Hartley wanted to say that all too cliche line of 'you've done enough', just to be spiteful, but he didn't. He had no idea where Axel had run off to, and two pairs of eyes searching was better than one. Especially if one of those sets of eyes was Cisco's, who had a rather unique ability that would come in handy.

"Can you 'vibe' on him?" Hartley held out Axel's leather jacket. Cisco looked hesitant, as he often was when it came to using his powers, but he ultimately took the jacket. Cisco reached into his pocket and took out the special glasses that helped to enhance his powers and made it easier for him to find something specific.

Cisco put on the glasses and focused on the jacket and Axel. Hartley watched in fascination as Cisco 'vibed' and had a vision of sorts, possibly of where Axel was. Hartley didn't understand the extent of Cisco's powers, and he doubted that Cisco understood them fully either. Still, Hartley had to admit that he was fascinated by the idea.

A few moments later Cisco seemed to snap out of whatever he had been seeing and came back to reality. Hartley snatched back the jacket while Cisco carefully put the glasses away. Cisco had used to keep the glasses at S.T.A.R. Labs, and only recently took them wherever he went. And he only started doing that because Hartley had pointed out that there would be times when he would have to 'vibe' when he wasn't at S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco had acted annoyed and insulted at the suggestion, and yet had followed it anyway, which Hartley was pleased about. At least Cisco wasn't letting his pride get in the way.

"I saw him." Cisco said, and Hartley was concerned about the slight worry in Cisco's voice. "I think he was mugged or something. Come on." Without explaining exactly what he saw Cisco ran off and Hartley had little choice but to follow him, despite his frustration and Cisco's vagueness.

The two of them went down a few blocks before Cisco suddenly turned into an alleyway. Hartley was relieved to see that Axel was indeed there, so Cisco hadn't just been leading them on a wild goose chase. Hartley's relief was quick to turn to worry when he saw just what Cisco meant when he said that Axel might have been mugged. After all, what else is one to suppose when they see someone unconscious in a dark alley?

Hartley ran to Axel's side and quickly checked him over for injuries. It didn't look as if he was hurt in any way. In fact, based off how he was at the bar Hartley suspected that he had simply gotten tired and fallen asleep. Still, Hartley was worried.

It was still pouring rain, and Hartley was feeling cold already, and he was wearing a jacket. Axel wasn't, and he had been exposed to the rain for longer. Axel was soaking wet and, despite how cold his skin felt to the touch, he wasn't shivering. Hartley knew that this wasn't a good sign. He needed to get Axel to some shelter immediately.

Hartley took off his hoodie, which was probably warmer than Axel's leather jacket, and put in on Axel instead. "I need to get him somewhere warm." Hartley said without even looking in Cisco's direction. He picked up Axel and said with a cold voice "And next time you guys want to call me to clean up your messes, figure it out yourself." Hartley really wasn't in the mood for being a part of Team Flash at the moment.

He had a friend to take care of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad about making Barry kinda a jerk in this chapter, but that is how I think he would react. He does get kinda fierce when it comes to the safety of those that he cares about, and the Tricksters did hold Barry's dad hostage. Now may I just say that Hartley is really fun to write? He's just so cynical, and I love it.


	6. Chapter 6

Hartley had been privileged as child, and he recognized that, though he didn't always fully appreciate just how sheltered he had been as a child. He didn't realize just how lucky he had been, that not everybody was able to enjoy the benefits of wealthy parents, like he was.

One of the many benefits was that, while Hartley's parents may not have been the most supportive people in the world, they did care about him. To this day Hartley cannot remember a time when he didn't have somebody to turn to in times of need. Whenever he got sick or just needed somebody to talk to, his parents always made sure that there was somebody there for him when they couldn't be.

Hartley realized how fortunate he was, honestly he did, but sometimes he couldn't help but notice the downsides to living such a sheltered life.

Hartley grew up with somebody always taking care of him, but because of this he hadn't learned how to deal with his own needs, or those of other people. As Hartley grew older he became more independent. Especially after getting a job at S.T.A.R. Labs, and then, later, getting temporarily disowned by his parents. However, Hartley hadn't gotten much better at interacting with people.

Hartley, while skilled at many things, did not have good social skills. He hadn't while he was a kid, and he didn't know. Hartley didn't know if it was because of how sheltered he was as a child that he didn't make many friends, especially not ones that were his age, or if it was just the way that he was. Either way, it was a bit of a nuisance sometimes.

The thing was, Hartley did actually want social interaction...well, he wanted some social interaction, and he had been getting that lately with Axel. The problem arose when something happened to Axel, and Hartley didn't know what to do about it.

He didn't know how to help Axel when he was feeling depressed, or when he was sick. Hartley didn't know how to help other people. He didn't have the slightest idea of where to even begin. Hartley knew that a key point of being supportive of somebody was to be sympathetic, and that was just not something that he was good at. Hartley didn't understand other people, how they thought or how they felt were mysteries to him. He sometimes (usually) had a difficult time reading moods and social cues, as such he would often end up saying something inappropriate without even realizing it. This lead everybody to see him as arrogant and uncaring.

Hartley wasn't truly uncaring, he just didn't know when care was appropriate to show.

Axel was the only person that Hartley had ever meant who didn't judge him on his short comings. Axel had always been there for him, so it was only fair that Hartley was there for his friend in his time of need...even if he wasn't entirely sure what exactly that need was.

Hartley decided to tackle this problem the way that he did any other. He would observe, gather facts, and then, through trial and error, he would solve his problem. After all, why should this problem be any different from all the others he had solved?

...Oh, who was he kidding? Hartley had never dealt with anything like this before. He didn't even know how to take care of himself when he was sick, let alone somebody else.

Well, there was no time like the present to learn.

Steeling himself Hartley pushed open the door to his bedroom for the fifth time that day. What Hartley found was Axel lying on his bed, sleeping, but not truly resting. Axel was shivering violently, and wouldn't stop no matter how many blankets Hartley tried to cover him with. Axel was also warm with fever and was practically drenched in sweat.

Hartley had suspected that Axel's habit of staying out in the rain would get him sick sooner or later, but he couldn't have predicted that Axel would get so ill so quickly. Axel had only been in the rain for a short while. Hartley would have expected him to catch a common cold, but not something worse.

Upon further reflection Hartley considered the fact that Axel had gotten so sick because his body was weak, thus he wasn't able to fight off viruses as efficiently as he should be able to. Hartley had noticed that Axel had been eating less and less for a good time now. He should have known that the lack of nutrition would cause this.

Hartley should have known better. He was supposed to be the smart one.

Axel whimpered. The sound brought Hartley out of his thoughts, reminding him of what was right in front of him. Hartley would have time later to be mad at himself for making such a stupid mistake. Right now though he had to focus on fixing that mistake. He had to focus on Axel.

Hartley went to the desk where he had earlier put a bowl of cool water and a washcloth. Hartley soaked the cloth in the water, twisted it until it was no longer wet, but merely damp. Hartley laid the washcloth on Axel's forehead. He whined quietly, but relaxed ever so slightly. Hartley knew it wouldn't last long though. All day he had been using damp washcloths to try to cool down Axel, but it only provided temporary relief. Still, Hartley wasn't sure what else he could do.

Hartley knew that, logically, he should give Axel enough fluids, to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated. Sadly it was rather difficult to get somebody to drink something when they were unconscious.

Maybe that was what concerned Hartley so much. That Axel hadn't woken up since Hartley had found him asleep in the alley the night before. It was now late afternoon. Nearly a full day had passed, and yet Axel was still asleep, and Hartley didn't know why. Not knowing what else to do Hartley sat down on the bed next to Axel and gently began running his fingers through his hair.

Axel made a quiet humming noise and leaned into Hartley's touch. He murmured something that sounded like words. Hartley paused and stared at his friend suspiciously.

"...Axel, are you awake?" Hartley asked tentatively. A groan that sounded quite a bit like the word 'no' was the response that he got. Hartley felt a wave of relief come over him. So Axel had been awake after all. That relief was quickly buried by a feeling of irritation. Just how long had Axel been conscious, and why hadn't he gotten up sooner?

Now, Hartley understood that when people were sick they had a tendency to be more tired and act more lazily. Hartley remembered all the times that he had ever gotten sick how all he wanted to do was sleep, read a book or, most common, lay down on the couch and rewatch the movies that he had seen thousands of times.

Hartley knew that Axel enjoyed watching movies just as much as the next person, so why wasn't he insisting that they do so? Surely Axel wouldn't rather waste the day away sleeping...would he?

Well, even if he did Hartley wasn't about to let that happen. Sick or not, it was time for Axel to wake up. Deciding to have some fun with Axel, and not want to deal with the hassle of trying to wake him up himself, Hartley stood up and went to go get Hamelin. He set the rat on his bed, right near where Axel's head was. Hamelin sniffed curiously at Axel for a moment before he began nibbling at his face.

Axel groaned and tried to roll away from the slight but sharp pain of having a rat biting at you. Unfortunately for him though Axel was right near the edge of the bed, so when he tried to roll over he fell right off. Axel landed on the ground with a 'thump' and an 'ow'.

Hartley only felt slightly bad for laughing.

"Now I see why you're always doing that to me." Hartley commented as he sat on his bed and picked up his rat. "That was pretty funny."

"Yeah, freaking hilarious." Axel pulled himself to his feet and glared at Hartley. "Didn't your mom ever tell you that it's not nice to pick on the sick."

"Didn't your mom ever tell you that you shouldn't waste the day away pretending to be asleep?" Hartley raised an eyebrow. Axel pouted and climbed back onto the bed.

"I wasn't pretending." He grumbled to himself. "...mostly."

Hartley snorted. "Yeah, I don't believe that. No matter how sick you are I somehow doubt that you can sleep for a full day. Not even with how tired you've been these past few weeks."

"I was sleeping." Axel argued. He grabbed Hartle' blanket and wrapped it around himself. "Sure, it's been on again off again since this morning, but I was still sleeping."

"So you really have woken up before now." Hartley frowned. "Why did you keep going back to sleep?"

Axel scowled, though not out of irritation. More out of sadness. "I just don't like being awake." Axel pulled the blanket tighter around himself. "It sucks."

Hartley was confused. Was Axel just talking about not wanting to be awake now while he was sick? Or was it more of an 'in general' thing? Hartley wanted to blame the feeling on the fever, but he realized that Axel had actually been sleeping a lot more these past few weeks. Was all this sleep really just because Axel was tired, like Hartley had originally believed? Or was there something more? Was Axel only wanting to sleep because it was better than the alternative?

"Why don't you like being awake?" Hartley asked, because he didn't understand, and he wanted to. He hated not understanding things.

"I don't know." Axel whined. "I just don't like being awake. And why should I? Living sucks."

Warning alarms went off in Hartley's head. Something was really wrong with what Axel had said. "I thought you said that being awake sucks."

"Being awake, being alive, what's the difference?" Axel said irritably. He dropped the blanket and got off the bed. Axel made to storm out of the room, and possibly out of the house, but Hartley grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He wasn't about to let Axel leave. Not now.

Axel tried to get away from Hartley's grip, but was unable to. Axel was weak because of his fever, so Hartley was easily able to overpower him. Hartley dragged Axel back onto the bed and just held him. Axel struggled and fought against Hartley's grip for a few minutes, but he did finally give in. Axel gave up all resistance, and Hartley just held him close.

"Please," Axel muttered quietly. "Don't make me do this anymore."

"I'm not making you do anything." Hartley said with confusion. Was Axel talking about hartley holding him? He didn't think that was the case, because if it was then Axel wouldn't have given up so easily.

"Make it stop." Axel whimpered. "Make the pain go away."

Hartley wanted to do as Axel asked, but he didn't know how. He didn't even know what he meant. Was Axel talking about physical pain? He was sick, after all, and was probably very uncomfortable. Somehow though, Hartley had the feeling that that wasn't quite right. That maybe Axel was talking about a different kind of pain.

An emotional pain. Or possibly a mental one.

Axel did seem pretty distressed. Was this why Axel wanted to sleep so badly? So he wouldn't have to deal with the pain? It was a possibility, but Hartley knew that just normal sleep couldn't release Axel from his pain. Hartley had been watching Axel as he slept (in a completely not creepy way) and even in his sleep Axel had seemed upset and restless. That was partially why Hartley had been so desperate for Axel to wake up, because he didn't like seeing him so distressed even while he was asleep.

How was Hartley to know that Axel's pain would follow him while he was awake as well? Or that him being awake would cause even more pain?

Hartley wanted to put his friend's mind at ease. He wanted Axel to be able to relax and truly rest, and Hartley believed he had just the way to make that happen. Hartley loosened his hold on Axel and, when he saw that the other wasn't going to try and run off again, he let go entirely and got off the bed.

Hartley went to his closet and grabbed his flute case. He could feel Axel's eyes watching him as he quickly but carefully put together the instrument.

"What are you doing?" Axel asked.

"Trying to help you." Hartley stood up. "Do you trust me?"

"Uh, sure." Axel said dubiously, but it was good enough for Hartley.

"Just try to relax." Hartley said. "Clear your mind." Axel sighed, closed his eyes and tried to do as he was told. Hartley brought the flute to his mouth and blew into the mouthpiece. Hartley began playing the first piece that came to his mind. The song was called Danse Macabre. Hartley was very familiar with these piece, as it was his favorite. The tune was chilling and mysterious, though Hartley always heard a certain kind of cheerfulness in the song, which was strange, considering what it was supposed to be about.

The song wasn't meant to be played by just a single person or instrument, but Hartley made do. After all, his goal wasn't to play a masterpiece, it was to calm down Axel. The better Hartley knew the tune that he was playing the more he could focus on pushing his will towards Axel.

Hartley couldn't brainwash people with his flute (yet), but he could make some progress. The first step to brainwashing somebody was to put their mind at ease, which was precisely what Hartley wanted to do.

Hartley didn't know if it was because of the influence of his playing, or if Axel had merely gotten bored and was still tired, but by the time Hartley had reached the end of his song Axel was once again fast asleep. Hartley breathed a sigh of relief.

Yes, he had wanted Axel to be awake, but he wanted more for him to feel at ease. If Axel wasn't going to feel at peace while he was awake then Hartley had to make sure that he could rest easy without being bothered by whatever was plaguing his mind.

And, by the looks of it, Hartley had succeeded. Hartley certainly looked more content than he had all day, and Hartley considered that progress. He just hoped that that feeling of contentedness and peace would stay with Axel even after he woke up again.

Hartley was worried about Axel, and not just because he was sick. Hartley had been disturbed by Axel's words earlier, and even more disturbed by the fact that he didn't know whether Axel's feelings were caused by his fever, or if him being sick just made him feel more vulnerable and open to share what was truly on his mind.

Hartley hoped that that wasn't the case, though he was beginning to fear that it was. God help them both if Axel truly meant what he said, and if his words actually meant what Hartley suspected they did. Because if he did mean it then Axel would need far more help than Hartley had originally thought.

Axel would need help that Hartley himself wouldn't be able to provide, and he wasn't sure if Axel would accept it from anybody else.

Hartley prayed that he was just overthinking things. That Axel was just fine and would eventually get over his fever and depressed mood on his own. That Axel would go back to acting like himself and there was nothing to worry about.

If Hartley was right in his suspicion, than his prayer was that they would be able to get through it. Because Hartley had the feeling that this wasn't something that they would be able to handle by themselves.

The only problem was, neither of them really had anybody else. Just each other. Who else could they possibly turn to if something happened? Nobody.

They were on their own.


	7. Chapter 7

When Hartley had first bought his home he had opted for an actual house rather than an apartment. He had done this for multiple reasons. The first and foremost being that he wouldn't have to interact with his neighbors nearly as much, as he didn't live in the same building as them. He also had more space and privacy in his own home.

Yes, a house was more expensive than an apartment, but Hartley believed that the extra cost was worth it. Besides, Hartley knew how to make money, and while he certainly wasn't rich anymore, he had more than enough to live comfortably.

...somewhat comfortably.

What Hartley hadn't taken into account when he had bought this house was that he might actually have guests who would potentially stay the night. Hartley hadn't really had many friends at the time, let alone ones he would invite into his home, let alone ones he would invite to stay in his home.

...Well, there may have been a couple of times, but Hartley really didn't think that one-night stands counted.

Of course, all of this had been before Hartley had even met Axel. How was he supposed to know back then that he was someday going to meet somebody that he would actually be willing to open up to? Even after he had met Axel and the two of them began spending a lot of time together, Hartley never actually thought that Axel would actually stay the night.

Honestly, he should have seen this coming. Axel's idea of a good time was to go skipping outside with no shoes or jacket on while it was storming outside. Hartley had been predicting that Axel would get sick eventually ever since the day they had met. Hartley had seen Axel's shabby excuse for an apartment for himself, and knew that it was no place for somebody to be when they were recovering from an illness.

So, of course, when Axel did get sick, as Hartley knew he would, he had brought him back to his own place, because where else would he take him?

If Hartley would have thought of all this beforehand he would have remembered that while his home technically had two bedrooms, only one was actually used as such while the other had been transfigured into a makeshift science lab. So while Axel got to sleep on the only bed, because he was sick, Hartley was stuck finding somewhere else to sleep, because while his bed was rather large he didn't think their relationship was quite at the bed sharing level yet.

The obvious choice for where to sleep was the couch. Unfortunately Hartley hadn't realized just how small and uncomfortable his couch really was for sleeping until he actually tried it. Honestly, it was near torture. During that first night after bringing Axel in Hartley had tossed and turned on the couch before eventually falling asleep, only to wake up an hour later and having to start the whole process all over again.

After his first full day of having Axel over Hartley decided that he did not want a repeat of the previous night. So instead of even attempting to fall asleep Hartley just sat on the couch, grabbed a book and read into the night. He did eventually end up dozing off, just like he had suspected he would. Maybe this time he would stay asleep until morning.

He had no such luck.

Hartley had always been a light sleeper. The smallest change in lighting or sound could end up waking him up, no matter how tired he was. Hartley had fallen asleep with the lamp on and yet the sudden, slight additional light ended up waking him up, or at least brought him into a half asleep state.

Hartley moaned and shifted so that his head was facing away from the additional light. All he wanted to do was to just go back to sleep and pretend he was just imagining the light. And who knows? Maybe he was really just imagining things

It was only a second later that Hartley noticed that there was a definite sound in the room. Not just sound though, but music, albeit quiet music. It started as a men's chorus chanting in what must be latin. A small bell part was heard after that, followed by another choir part that sounded more full than it had before.

Because he was still half asleep Hartley didn't recognize the song as quickly as he should have, but as soon as the full choir came in Hartley immediately knew what he was listening to. It was a song that gave him chills every time he heard it, from a movie that he practically revered.

The question was, why was he hearing it?

Hartley turned his face and opened his eyes to see where the music was coming from. The answer became clear soon enough. Hartley's television was on and was showing the beginning of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Hartley wondered for a brief moment why it was on, but then his eyes landed on the form that was curled up on the floor and he found his answer.

"Axel, don't you think it's a little late to be watching a movie?" Hartley asked tiredly. The form on the floor jumped and Axel turned to face Hartley.

"You're awake." Axel said, which just irritated Hartley. He hated it when people stated the obvious.

"So are you." Hartley retorted. His tone must have had more of a bite in it than he had intended, because Axel actually looked hurt, though also embarrassed.

"Yeah." He muttered as he turned to face the tv again. "I couldn't sleep."

"That's what happens when you sleep all day." Hartley sighed and swung his legs off the couch. "So, did you just get bored or something?"

"Or something." Axel said in a tone that was too serious for him. "When I couldn't sleep I started thinking, and I just...I didn't like where my thoughts were going."

Hartley frowned. "Did your thoughts have anything to do with what you said yesterday?"

Axel turned around again, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What did I say yesterday?"

"Just that you were tired." It wasn't a total lie. Axel's words about not wanting to be awake (or alive) and wanting to make the pain go away certainly had something to do with being tired. Hartley still didn't know whether Axel had meant what he said yesterday, or if it really had just been the fever talking. Either way, Hartley wasn't very keen on rushing into that conversation. Later, for sure, he would talk to Axel about this things, but only after he had figured out what to say to him.

Hartley was beginning to believe more and more that it wasn't just Axel's fever talking. Unless, of course, he was feeling just as sick as he had the day before. Hartley leaned forward and laid the back of his hand across Axel's forehead. It definitely felt warmer than it should, but nowhere near as bad as it was yesterday.

"How do you feel?" Hartley asked, because really there was no more accurate way to know how somebody than just asking them.

"Fine." Axel said with the smallest of smiles. "A little cold and tired, but fine."

Hartley breathed a sigh of relief. It looked as though Axel's day of sleeping had done wonders to make him feel better. He was still sick, that much was certain, but it was more the type of sick that meant it was time to be lazy and watch a movie.

Speaking of movies…

"I see you found my Disney movie collection." Hartley noted, which caused Axel's smile to grow.

"It was a little hard." Axel said jokingly. "Your hoard of gay musicals buried them." Now that just wasn't true. Hartley's Disney movies, and other animated movies with decent soundtracks, were just as easy to find as any other movie of his. Axel probably just had a hard time finding anything he thought was worth watching because he didn't want to even look at anything else that Hartley kept in his movie collection.

"I'm curious though, why did you choose The Hunchback of Notre Dame?" Hartley asked. It wasn't normally someone's first pick. Had Axel just grabbed the first animated movie he saw?

"I love this movie." Axel said, which surprised Hartley. "It has my favorite character in it."

"Ah." Hartley nodded, knowing immediately who Axel was talking about. "Clopin Trouillefou." Axel's blank expression reminded Hartley that not everybody was familiar with the character's name from the original book. "The gypsy king." He added, to clear up the confusion.

"Oh, yeah, him." Axel's eyes widened in awe. "How did you know?"

Hartley rolled his eyes. "He's a loud, energetic, annoying jester who is more malicious than he seems. Of course you would like him."

Axel grinned wickedly. "You know me so well."

"Yes, well, I try." Hartley tried to sound annoyed and sarcastic, but his amused grin showed through.

"I don't just like the movie because of...because of jester guy." Axel said, having quickly forgotten the gypsy king's name. "The songs are really cool, and even though there's some romance that's not what the movie's about. Oh, and it has one of the best villain songs ever."

"You appreciate the songs?" Hartley raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't enjoy musicals."

"It's totally different with animated movies." Axel disagreed.

"What about live action musicals made based off of animated movies?" Hartley asked with a smirk.

"There's no such thing." Axel frowned. "...Is there?"

"Of course there are." Hartley chuckled at Axel's ignorance. "Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Aladdin, Lion King, and Little Mermaid have all been made into well known stage productions." There were others as well, some of them not even Disney or originally musicals in the first place. "Even Hunchback of Notre Dame has been made into a stage production...twice, actually."

"Twice?" Axel's eyes widened, and Hartley scoffed. Of course, now Axel was getting excited by a live action musical.

"Yes, twice." Hartley nodded. "One is in English, and only came out recently. The other came out many years ago and is called Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame."

"...What?" Axel's confused expression made Hartley laugh.

"It's German for 'the bell ringer of Notre Dame'." Hartley answered.

"Why German?" Axel asked with a tilt of his head.

"Because they were the ones who recognized the brilliance and potential that is this movie." Hartley said somewhat bitterly. Axel smirked.

"So you like this movie too?"

"Would I own both the English and the German soundtracks if I didn't?" Hartley pointed out.

"Which is your favorite?" Axel asked eagerly. Hartley frowned thoughtfully.

"Well, I enjoy both." Hartley said after a minute. "The German version feels more epic and majestic, but the English version…" Hartley blushed ever so slightly. "I-I like the english Quasimodo's singing voice." Hartley liked to think that he sounded normal and casual when he said that last bit, but if Axel's mischievous smirk was anything to go by, he hadn't.

"Ooh, you like this guy." Axel said teasingly, which caused Hartley's blush to deepen.

"Please," Hartley scoffed. "I don't even know the guy. I just like his voice."

"No, you totally like him." Axel snickered. "Like, if that guy were to come up and ask you out, you would say yes."

"Obviously." Hartley didn't deny that fact, which just made Axel giggle wickedly. Hartley rolled his eyes. At this point he was pretty sure that he would agree to go out with just about any guy who asked him. And what was wrong with having a slight crush because of one's singing? Hartley knew that he wasn't the only one who had this sort of thing for somebody. And yet Axel still found it the most hilarious thing in the world.

Not wanting to deal with Axel's ridiculousness any more, because it was definitely too early in the morning for that, Hartley suggested that they just watch the movie, because or else what was the purpose of turning it on in the first place? Axel eagerly turned back to the tv, his attention immediately returning to the movie. He didn't even seem to care that they had missed the beginning.

Rubbing the exhaustion out of his eyes Hartley leaned back against the couch and made himself comfortable. He was incredibly tired, but Hartley knew that he wouldn't ever get to sleep while this movie was going on...and it was one of his favorites, so why not watch it?

A few minutes later Hartley only vaguely took notice of Axel shifting uncomfortably and getting to his feet. He assumed that maybe Axel had gotten bored, or was wanting to go back to bed. Perhaps he had grown hungry or simply needed to use the bathroom. Whatever the case, it wasn't worth thinking about.

At least, that was what Hartley had thought until Axel climbed onto the couch right next to him. Axel pulled the small blanket that Hartley had been using over his own shoulders. Axel then snuggled against Hartley, who froze at the contact.

Hartley was not the biggest fan of physical contact. He always felt incredibly awkward and unsure whenever somebody initiated physical contact with him. He never knew if there was something he was supposed to do in return. It was all very weird in Hartley's eyes.

He stayed tense for a few minutes, but gradually began to grow used to the contact. As Hartley relaxed he took notice of Axel's shivering next to him. Huh, so that was what the...well, the snuggling, was about. Axel was just trying to warm himself up.

Now that Hartley understood, and he could deal with it.

Hartley put his arm around Axel's shoulders and pulled him closer. His own body warmth might help make Axel feel better...or it might just make his fever worse. Or who knows? It might just do nothing at all.

Hartley really didn't know much about illnesses and the such.

The two of them stayed like this for the remainder of the movie. By the end of it Hartley assumed that Axel would have fallen asleep by now, because he certainly seemed relaxed and quiet enough to be asleep. However, he was once again proven wrong, as Axel was as wide awake as he had been before. And now that the movie was over, he was bored/looking for a distraction again.

"What do you want to do now?" Axel asked Hartley eagerly.

"Sleep." Hartley said honestly. "Can't you find something to do by yourself?"

Axel frowned. "I don't know what I want to do."

Hartley scowled. "Who else is supposed to know what you want to do except for you?"

"I don't know. I-I don't want to do anything. Not even the stuff that I like doing." Axel almost whimpered, which made Hartley frown. "I never feel like doing anything. And I hate it."

Hartley grew thoughtful. Axel's words certainly explained why he hadn't been doing much these past few weeks. He just wasn't in the mood for doing things that he enjoyed. It was an annoying and frustrating problem, one that Hartley had dealt with multiple times, and he knew just the cure.

"Why don't you try doing something new?" Hartley suggested. He got to his feet and briefly went into his room. Hartley came back carrying wooden box and a black and white checkerboard. He had also brought in a couple of cd's, just in case.

"Have you ever played chess before?" Hartley asked as he laid the board on the ground, opened the wooden box which held the pieces and began setting up the game.

"I don't think so." Axel crawled off the couch and onto the floor, the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders.

"It can be a bit of a complicated game." Hartley warned Axel, though he believed that complicated was something that Axel needed right now. He was looking for a distraction, and nothing was better for distracting than something that tested the mind. Besides, learning something new will hopefully make Axel feel like he accomplished something that day, which will hopefully make him feel not as down.

Hartley wasn't entirely sure though. He was just going by what he felt when he went through depressing periods when he just fell into a funk. It didn't happen very often, but Hartley was still familiar with the feeling. He had figured out how to make himself feel better, even just temporarily. Hopefully the same strategy worked for Axel.

Hartley taught Axel the basic rules of chess, and once he understood the goal of the game and moves sets of the pieces the two of them began. Axel still didn't understand the finer points of the game, but that was fine. Hartley believed that with chess the best way to learn was just by playing it. Axel would get better with experience.

Hartley had expected to win against Axel, but what he hadn't expected at all was just how horrible his friend was at this game.

"I don't think you understand the point of pawns." Hartley commented as he moved his remaining rook piece, putting Axel's king into checkmate. The game had only lasted a few minutes, and Hartley had won by a landslide. He still had the majority of his own pieces, while Axel only had his knight and little more than half of his pawns.

"You know, you probably would have done much better if you sacrificed your pawns to save some of your more useful pieces, and not the other way around." Hartley said, which caused Axel to frown.

"I can do what I want with my pieces." Axel huffed stubbornly. And he did just that. When they set up the board to play again Hartley, once again, easily defeated Axel. It was like Axel wasn't trying to win at all. Axel's goal with this game seemed to be to protect his pawns at all costs. He even sacrificed his queen to save his pawns.

"Axel, what are you doing?" Hartley asked after their fifth short game, which he had, of course, won. It wasn't even a challenge. "You're not using your pawns right."

"Well, maybe I don't want to use them." Axel said in a darker tone than Hartley expected. "Maybe I think that the pawns should be more than just tools for people to use to get what they want."

"...that is literally exactly what a pawn is." Hartley said. Axel frowned and glared darkly at him. Hartley didn't understand what he had done to make Axel so angry. Whatever it was Hartley decided it would be best if he stopped now while he was ahead. Besides, he was beginning to feel rather tired again.

"Look, I'm going to go to bed." Hartley stood up. "If you're still bored, feel free to practice chess for as long as you want. God knows you need it." Hartley handed Axel the cd's he had brought out earlier. "Here are the soundtracks for Huncback and Der Glöckner, in case you were interested. Do whatever you like, but don't be too loud, and don't go outside."

"Yeah, whatever." Axel muttered as he set up the chess board again. He didn't question Hartley's request for him to stay inside, which he was grateful for. Hartley didn't exactly understand himself why he didn't want Axel to go outside, and he doubted he would be able to give a valid reason if asked.

With Axel preoccupied Hartley went to his bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, suddenly feeling his exhaustion returning to him. He was so tired he didn't even care that his bed was unmade. He just laid down on the bunched up blankets and soon fell asleep.

A few hours later when Hartley woke up he found Axel sitting on the floor in the living room, in the exact same position he had left him in. He was practicing his game of chess, just like Hartley had suggested. He was also listening to the soundtrack of Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame, and humming along to the song that was playing.

Hartley was impressed at first, but when he realized that the song that Axel was currently humming to was one that wasn't in the movie at all, only in the German version of the show, he grew confused, and slightly concerned. Axel would have had to have been listening to the song for a while to be familiar with the tune.

Hartley wondered if Axel had moved at all in these past few hours. Had he honestly just done nothing except listen to the music and play chess by himself? It didn't really seem like something Axel would do. Maybe it was what he had ended up doing because that was all Hartley had suggested to him.

Hartley didn't know how to feel about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I had planned on having Axel watch Phantom of The Opera, because he might appreciate the darker tone, but I ultimately decided on Hunchback of Notre Dame. Partly because it's animated and fun, though also surprisingly dark, which is definitely Axel...or, at least, it's my version of Axel. If I'm being completely honest I know absolutely nothing about Axel Walker from the comics.
> 
> Honestly, I couldn't resist having these two talk about Hunchback, because in all honesty it is my favorite Disney movie ever. Besides, if they didn't get to talking about this show than I wouldn't have been able to include the fun real world reference. Digital brownies to anybody who finds the reference.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, starting in this chapter things will be taking a darker more angsty turn for a bit. Just thought I should say that.

Axel moaned dramatically and fell onto the couch where Hartley was already sitting. Hartley didn't even look at him, even though Axel was now sitting on top of his legs which had been stretched across the couch cushions. Hartley just kicked Axel to the floor and resumed whatever he had been doing.

"Haaartleey." Axel whined as fell back and laid on the floor. Hartley ignored him completely, which made Axel frown. He sat up and stared at his friend who didn't even seem to notice. Axel got to his knees and poked at Hartley's leg.

"Hartley." Once again, there was no reaction. Getting impatient Axel tried again. He poked the leg again, even harder this time. "Hartley." Still nothing. Axel frowned and began poking Hartley over and over again. "Hartley, Hartley, Hartley, Hartley, Hartley, Hartl-"

"Oh my god." Hartley finally drew his eyes away from whatever had so fully caught his attention. He glared at Axel harshly. "What do you want?"

"I'm bored." Axel said innocently.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's not my job to keep you entertained?" Hartley said irritably.

"But you're the host here." Axel pointed out. "If you're keeping prisoner in your house, the least you can do is give me something to do."

"There are lots of things to do." Hartley said hotly. "And for the last time, you're not a prisoner."

"You won't let me leave." Axel reminded him.

"Yeah, because you're sick." Hartley said matter-of-factly.

"That was a week ago!" Axel cried out. "I'm not sick anymore. I feel fine."

"But your immune system is still weak." Hartley said firmly, though Axel didn't believe him. Why should he believe Hartley's words when Hartley didn't even sound like he meant it? "I'm not just going to let you prance out of the house only for you to come crawling back here in a day or two."

"...I wouldn't go prancing anywhere." Axel grumbled. He crossed his arms and felt a hot, icky feeling of anger smoldering inside of him. Hartley was being such a jerk, and Axel didn't understand it. Hartley treated him like a child and got annoyed at him, but he refused to let him leave. It made no sense. If Axel really irritated Hartley that much, then why wasn't he kicking him out already? They would probably both be happier if he did.

Axel had never done well with being cooped up somewhere. Sometimes he prefered to stay inside, and even today all Axel wanted to do was to curl up in his bed and not do anything, but he always grew resentful whenever he felt like he was being forced into staying somewhere. It made him feel trapped and suffocated, and that wasn't a fun feeling.

Axel had been feeling more and more on edge every day, and he felt with that anxiousness the only way he knew how. By getting on somebody else's nerves. He partially did it because he wanted attention, and partially because he wanted the other person to be miserable too. It was petty, and really mean, and he knew that, but Axel never really thought straight when he was upset or in a bad mood.

So while the first few days of Axel staying with Hartley had been perfectly fine, the rest of them had been anything but. Neither of them were used to having a roommate, and both refused to make any of the necessary compromises. They constantly fought over who would sleep on the bed and who would be on the couch. Axel still didn't understand why Hartley had thrown a hissy fit when Axel had suggested that they share the bed, just as long as Hartley didn't get his gay all over him. Honestly, Axel thought that it was a very reasonable request.

They fought over what movie to watch, whether or not it was okay to sleep with Hamelin (Axel believed yes, while Hartley passionately disagreed, saying that it was too dangerous and the rat could end up suffocating). They even fought over chess strategies, and now they both refused to play another game with each other, Axel because he didn't want Hartley to lecture him about the proper use of the pieces, and Hartley because he didn't want to play with somebody who insisted on not playing the game correctly.

Things had been pretty intense between the two of them, but occasionally they did find things to agree on, like how they were both spiteful enough to take pleasure in the suffering of somebody else.

Hartley and Axel had been in the middle of their latest death glare staring contest when Hartley's cell phone rang. Grumbling under his breath Hartley broke eye contact with Axel, which the latter was extremely satisfied about, and answered his phone.

"What do you want?" Hartley said grumpily, which was his way of saying 'hello'. He frowned in irritation when whoever was on the other end began talking and the more they said the more annoyed and angry Hartley became. "You have got to be kidding me." Hartley said darkly, which caused Axel to grin slightly. For some reason he always enjoyed it whenever Hartley used that tone of voice, just as long as it wasn't directed at him. It was nice to not be the one that Hartley was mad at, for once.

"I already told you, I'm not going to help you guys out anymore. Barry can figure things out for himself, for once." Hartley began to hang up the phone, but Axel stopped him.

"Wait!" Axel said maybe a little too loudly. Hartley paused and looked at him curiously. "Who is it?" Axel asked.

"Cisco." Hartley said, his voice dripping with animosity, like it often was when he talked about Cisco Ramon. "They've run into a bit of a problem at work, and they want me to come in and fix things for them, like I always do."

"And you don't want to?" Axel asked, a little confused by that.

"Of course not." Hartley said somewhat resentfully. "Why should I bother to assist them when they don't even like me? If they need something, they should either learn how to figure it out themselves, or treat me, and my friends, with the respect that is deserved."

"Hmm." Axel thought for a second before smirking wickedly. "I think you should help them."

"...What?" Hartley looked at him as if he had gone insane. Part of Axel grew angry over that look, but he pushed that feeling aside. This wasn't the time to be all petty over what Hartley was doing, it was time to be cunning towards Hartley's work friends...or whatever they were.

"Then you'll be able to hold it over them. They'll totally owe you." Axel grinned mischievously. "And if they're asking for your help, that means that they can't deal with it themselves. If you can do what they can't then that'll just prove what we all know to be true."

"And what would that be?" Hartley sounded tired with the conversation, and that he was just asking to humor him, but Axel could tell that he was intrigued.

"That you are absolutely brilliant and they should all worship the ground that you walk on." Axel joked. Hartley considered his words and smirked.

"I like the way you think sometimes, Axel." Hartley brought the phone back to his ear and addressed Cisco. "I've been persuaded. I'll be by soon. Try to make sure Barry doesn't get himself killed before I get there." And with that he hung up. Hartley reluctantly stood up from his spot on the couch, and Axel wasted no time in claiming the already warm spot for himself.

As Hartley went about the house to find his shoes, jacket, and any sciency gadget that might even be remotely useful, he shouted instructions and rules to Axel, which made him snicker. Hartley was seriously sounding like an overprotective mom who was worried about leaving her kid alone, and it was freaking hilarious.

"-And no sugar!" Hartley reminded him for the fifth time, which caused Axel to burst out into laughter.

"I get it, I get it." He said in between giggles. "I won't do anything fun, I promise." Hartley scowled, though it looked more like a pout, which just made Axel laugh so hard that he was practically gasping for breath.

"Geeze, kid, why don't you try breathing or something?" Hartley suggested. He shouldered his bag that was stuffed full of sciency mumbo jumbo and looked around the apartment briefly, his eyes full of hesitation and concern. "Are you sure you'll be fine here on your own?"

Axel grew irritated. He was sick of Hartley treating him like a little kid, even if he acted like one sometimes. "Yes, I'm sure. I was able to survive just fine before I met you."

"Right." Hartley's cheeks burned red in embarrassment. "Well, uh, I don't know how long this will take, but if I'm gone for more than five hours I'll call."

"Yeah, okay." Axel reached for the remote and turned the tv on. "See you later." He heard Hartley mutter a goodbye and leave the home. The second Axel heard the door close he frowned and looked at the door from the corner of his eye. He completely ignored the television and just sat watching the door, waiting for something. After a few minutes when it became clear that Hartley wasn't going to be coming back unexpectedly Axel let out a sigh of relief and got to his feet.

He spent a few minutes searching around the house for his wayward shoes, which had disappeared once again. He then grabbed one of Hartley's hoodies (it was warmer and more comfortable than his own old jacket, and easier to find) and, without looking back, snuck out of the house.

Axel felt a sick feeling building up in his stomach because of the dishonesty he was showing towards Hartley, but he pushed it down and tried to ignore it. He was just going stir crazy in there! Axel needed to get out, even if just for a few hours. He knew that Hartley wouldn't allow it, so he had just gone ahead and done it behind Hartley's back. After all, what Hartley didn't know couldn't hurt him.

...Right?

Besides, there was something that Axel absolutely had to do, and it had to be today. Axel had been let out of prison, but not off the hook. They had set him free on the condition that he see his parole officer, in person, at least once a month. Axel had yet to see him this month, and it was the last day, which meant this was his last chance. If Axel didn't talk to him today than he would be in huge trouble, and that wasn't something that he wanted to deal with.

Axel liked to think that Hartley would agree to let him out of the house to talk to his parole officer, but he didn't want to risk it. Hartley wasn't even supposed to know that he had been to prison, and Axel didn't want to risk changing anything about their relationship by telling him about it.

He didn't want to lose the only real friend he had ever had, just because of one very stupid mistake that was caused by his lack of judgement.

Axel didn't want to lose Hartley, and if that meant keeping him in the dark about his past, then so be it. It wasn't as if Axel had been looking forward to the day that he would have to tell Hartley, and that was if he didn't already know. Hartley was a smart person, the smartest person that Axel had ever met, it wouldn't really surprise him if Hartley already knew who he was and what he had done.

But if he did already know, wouldn't he say something before now? Axel wasn't sure, and thinking about it just gave him a headache and caused panic to build up inside of him. So he just didn't think about it.

Sadly, it was really hard to not think about something. And it wasn't as if he could just stop thinking. He couldn't do that any more than he could stop feeling, and Axel knew that he couldn't do that. If he could stop feeling, he would have already.

Fortunately for Axel the thoughts and emotions that he would rather forget about weren't bothering him right now. He thought it might have had something to do with his relief to be outside again. It was much easier to not let himself be trapped by his thoughts when he didn't feel trapped period.

Not that Axel felt necessarily 'good' right now, because he didn't. Honestly, he just wanted to go home and...something. He didn't really have any idea what he wanted to do. All he knew for sure was that he didn't want to be stuck in Hartley's home right now. He just needed to get out for a bit. Even if all he was going to do was talk to his stupid parole officer.

Yes, it was an activity that was boring as hell, but it certainly beat the suffocating feeling of sitting around Hartley's apartment and doing nothing, though not by much. Besides, this was something that Axel had to do, which made it a lot easier to motivate himself to go than if it was just an activity just for the fun of it. And yet Axel still found himself dragging his feet, taking his time and stalling for as long as was humanly possible.

It wasn't a fun feeling, to have to practically forced himself to do anything, but it was a feeling that Axel was familiar with. It was practically normal for him to have weeks at a time where he felt like this. Sure, this time around the feeling seemed to last longer than it normally did, which was really weird and kind of concerning, but Axel knew that before too long it would go away.

It always did.

Until it did though he just had to wait out the slow bad times, and hang onto the few really good times. As for the in between boring times, they just seemed even more annoying and boring than they usually did, so they weren't much different. Axel was grateful for that much, because it meant that he was consistent with how he behaved around his parole officer. The last thing that he needed was for the man to suspect that there was something going on with him, or he was hiding something, because he wasn't. He was just having a bad day...week...month.

Things would get better though...eventually.

Axel tried not to think about how long this mood had been lasting for. It was not normal, but he didn't want to worry about it. Stress and worry only ever made his mood even worse. This was why, for once, Axel was somewhat glad to be going to talk to his parole officer. The meeting was always incredibly boring, and more often than not Axel nearly fell asleep, but at least if he was thinking about how bored he was he wouldn't think about other things.

The meeting with his parole officer went surprisingly well. Axel didn't end up falling asleep, and his parole officer, whose name Axel just couldn't remember for the life of him, didn't ask a ridiculous amount of irrelevant intruding questions because he thought that Axel was up to something. He just asked what he needed to know, Axel answered the boring questions, and just like that he was out of there.

Axel left as quickly as possible once their meeting was over and let out a sigh of relief. That had gone much better than he thought it would. Axel had been worried that he would get in some pretty big trouble because, technically speaking, he had lied to his parole officer on one or two of the questions. Because there was no way he was about to tell that guy that he had gone to a bar, gotten sick, and been living with somebody else for the past week. Axel wasn't sure if that sort of thing was allowed (he didn't really understand all of the rules and restrictions he had to follow) but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Besides, it wasn't like that sort of thing was going to happen again, or that anything serious had actually happened, so what was the harm?

With the stupid meeting out of the way and Hartley probably still being gone Axel's afternoon was free, which he was kinda excited about. He didn't know what he wanted to do, but at least he didn't have to do anything. He didn't have to talk to somebody that he didn't want to, and he didn't have to stay trapped somewhere.

Axel walked the streets for a few minutes, trying to think of what to do, but nothing was coming to his mind. Axel didn't really want to be around people right now, because everybody either completely ignored him or looked at him as if he was just a nuisance or a freak. Axel was used to those looks, and he usually did a good job at completely ignoring them. Right now though, he didn't want to ignore them. He didn't want to deal with them at all.

Axel didn't know what he wanted to do, but he believed that he was ready to go home...back to Hartley's home, not his own. It was kinda funny, he had been so sick of being cooped up in Hartley's place earlier, and now he just wanted to go back there.

Actually, Axel didn't know whether that was actually funny, or if it was just pathetic. He didn't really get it. Why did he want to go running back to a place that he had felt so trapped in? It was kinda confusing, and Axel still felt very conflicted about it. Still, he didn't have any other idea of where to go or what to do, so back to Hartley's place it was.

Axel dragged his feet a little as he made his way back, because he wasn't really in a hurry so why should he rush? Axel let his mind wander as he walked and completely lost himself. When he arrived back at Hartley's place it felt like forever had passed, and yet, at the same time, like no time had passed at all.

Axel hummed to himself as he went to the door and opened it. He had expected an empty and quiet house, but when Axel opened the door he found himself face to face with a very furious Hartley. Axel let out a startled yelp and grew nervous at the anger in his friend's eyes. He had a feeling this wasn't going to turn out well.

"H-Hartley, what are you doing back so soon?" Axel's voice was desperate and accusatory. Hartley had said that he would be gone for a few hours, and Axel couldn't have been gone for more than one! What was Hartley doing here? "You said you would be gone for a few hours."

"I never said that." Hartley said hotly and Axel flinched at his tone. "I said that I didn't know how long I would be gone for. Sometimes it takes a while, sometimes it doesn't."

"And this time it didn't." Axel muttered. He could have hit himself. God, how could he be so stupid?! Axel had been so desperate to get out, and so focused on keeping his secrets from Hartley that he had gotten reckless. He never should have left unless he was absolutely certain that there was no chance he would get caught. He was such an idiot.

...Wait a second. Why was Axel getting so mad at himself? He hadn't done anything wrong. All he had done was go out for an hour. Sure, he hadn't told Hartley that he was leaving, but so what? Hartley was his friend, not his guardian. It was none of his business where Axel had been, and he was getting sick of Hartley acting like it was.

"What's the big deal?" Axel asked. "I just went out for a bit."

"Without telling me." Hartley fumed.

"I shouldn't have to tell you." Axel said, his angry tone meeting Hartley's. "I shouldn't have to ask permission."

"I'm not saying you do." Hartley snapped, which caused Axel to snort, because that was a lie. Hartley ignored him and continued. "I would just like to know where you are. You could have called me or left me a note. Do you know how worried I was when I saw that you had disappeared without a word?"

Axel didn't know how worried Hartley had been, or why he had been worried in the first place. It must have been pretty bad though for proud Hartley to even admit to being worried in the first place. Part of Axel was glad to have somebody who seemed to care enough about him to worry. But part of him was also really annoyed and confused by it. Axel wasn't used to people actually caring about him. It was a new and strange feeling, and he wasn't so sure that he liked it.

"Why?" Axel asked simply. He meant why did Hartley care about him at all, because nobody else he had met ever did. What made Hartley so different? Hartley thought took his question to mean 'why were you so worried that I wasn't here?'

"Because you're sick." Hartley said bluntly. Axel threw back his head and groaned.

"Why do you keep on saying that?" It was seriously getting old. "My fever went down days ago. I'm fine."

"That's not what I meant." Hartley looked frustrated, like he always did whenever Axel didn't understand what he was saying, which happened fairly regularly.

Axel tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean that's not what you meant? What else could you-" Axel froze as he realized what Hartley might have meant. Memories came rushing back to him from when he was a kid. Memories of those foster homes where the parents had always seemed to walk on eggshells around him, as if they expected him to just blow up and lose control at any given moment.

Axel remembered all the homes where he had been treated like a freak, by both the other kids and the parents. He remembered hearing whispered conversations about how he was sick and needed help. Shortly after hearing those kinds of conversations Axel had always been sent away to yet another foster home.

Many of his foster parents believed that he needed help, but all of them had decided that somebody that wasn't them should help him. Axel had been told a couple of times that he needed to leave because he was sick, and for the longest time he didn't understand what they had meant. Only now that Axel was older did he realize the meanings of their words.

They had all thought that there was something wrong with him. That he was sick in the head or something. They thought this because of the way that Axel behaved. He was different from the others kids, more uncontrollable, and nobody knew how to deal with him, so they sent him away to be somebody else's burden.

Axel had thought that by now he wouldn't have to worry about people doing that to him anymore. He didn't live with any guardians anymore, so there was nobody around to toss him aside because he was defective.

And then he met Hartley. Axel had thought that Hartley was different from everybody else. Axel thought that Hartley understood him, that he liked him. And yet here he was, saying that Axel was sick, like so many people had before him. Axel hadn't understood when he was a child, but he did now. Hartley didn't think he was sick. Hartley thought…

"You think I'm crazy." Axel muttered quietly. It wasn't a question, it was an observation.

"What? No!" Hartley sounded bewildered and upset, which caused Axel to consider that maybe Hartley really didn't see him as crazy. But if he didn't, then what had he meant? Hartley reached out toward him and Axel flinched away. He didn't want to deal with this right now. He didn't want to deal with this at all. Axel just wanted, needed, to get away.

Axel was tense and ready to dash out the door and just run. Hartley must have somehow known what he was thinking because before Axel could move Hartley had grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the door. Hartley then closed and locked the front door.

"W-what are you doing?" A feeling of unexplainable fear came over Axel, causing him to take a step back. Hartley looked at him, his eyes apologetic but firm.

"I can't let you leave, Axel." Hartley said. His voice was calm, but it did nothing to keep Axel from panicking. If anything, Hartley's calmness made everything worse. "Not when you're like this."

"I-I can't stay here." Axel tried to sound defiant, but he couldn't stop his voice from shaking. "I can't...I need to get out of here." Axel was feeling trapped once again, and he didn't understand. Why was Hartley keeping him here like this? Why couldn't he just let him leave?

Axel cast his eyes around the room, desperately looking for another way out than just through the front door. Axel's breathing quickened and he couldn't think clearly. The only thought going through his head was that he needed to get out of there. He didn't even understand why, all he knew was that he was scared and he wanted the feeling to go away.

"Axel!" He was brought back to reality at the feeling of Hartley's firm hands on his shoulders. Axel blinked and looked at Hartley blankly, whose desperate eyes were filled with concern. "Come on, Walker, snap out of it."

"W-what?" Axel gasped, his mind immediately clearing up at the name that Hartley had used. Axel pulled out of Hartley's grip and shook his head, wishing that he had just heard wrong, but knowing he hadn't. "How d'you...You know who I am." It wasn't possible though. Axel had never told hartley who he was. Hartley shouldn't know his last name at all, so how…

...Wait a second. His friends! Those jerks that Hartley worked with knew who Axel was, and they must have told Hartley the truth.

But how long had Hartley known about Axel Walker? Did he just know his name, or did he know what he had done too? Axel didn't know, and he hated not knowing. He wanted to think that Hartley just knew his name and nothing else, and for a second Axel had almost convinced himself that that was the truth. But then he looked toward the locked front door and remembered Hartley's insistence at him not leaving. What if Hartley believed that Axel was too dangerous to be around 'normal' people, and that's why he was keeping him here?

Deep down Axel knew that that wasn't the truth, but at the moment he couldn't think clearly enough to realize it. At the moment all Axel knew was that Hartley knew who he was, and possibly what he had done, was locking him in here, and thought that he was crazy.

Axel...he just couldn't handle this right now. Since he couldn't leave the house Axel ran to the first safe place he could think of. Hartley's bedroom. He slammed the door behind him and locked it. Hartley had followed him, Axel could tell because he was pounding on the door and practically begging to be let in, but Axel didn't listen. He didn't open the door. He couldn't face Hartley right now.

Axel unsuccessfully tried to stifle a sob. He leaned his back against the door and slid down till he was sitting on the ground. He clutched his hands tightly over his ears to try to block out the sound of Hartley's voice. Axel's legs were curled up tightly to his chest. His eyes were wet with tears, and he didn't even do anything to try to stop them from falling to his cheeks.

Axel just sat there for a while, unmoving, thinking.

Axel felt betrayed. He had thought that Hartley was his friend. Hartley had said that he was different, special, and he made it seem like it was a good thing. Axel had been stupid enough to believe him. But Hartley was just like everybody else. He thought that Axel was insane and unstable.

...no, Hartley wasn't just like everybody else. Hartley liked him, didn't he? And if he didn't, he certainly pretended to for a long time, and what reason would he have for doing that? Axel's stomach clenched tightly and he felt sick. He didn't understand it. Hartley wouldn't pretend to do something for so long, which meant that he really did care about Axel. But if that was true, then why did Hartley think that he was crazy? Friends weren't supposed to think that friends were sick in the head, did they?

Axel didn't know, and it just made his chest hurt the more he thought about it. Axel didn't want to think or feel anything anymore. He felt tired, and just wanted everything to stop. Axel lifted his head and briefly considered going to sleep on Hartley's bed, but he decided against it. He would just wake up in the morning feeling just as bad as he did now, if not worse. No, sleeping would only provide temporary relief, and that wasn't what Axel wanted. He wanted...he just…

Axel glanced out the window and stared out to the sky. A strong, familiar feeling came over him. One he wasn't sure he could fight back, and he didn't think that he wanted to this time.

"I want to fly." Axel muttered to himself as he stared blankly outside. He wanted to fly away from his conflicted feelings about Hartley. He wanted to fly away from how everybody saw him. He wanted to fly away from the mistakes of his past.

Axel just wanted to fly and escape from everything.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Attempted suicide is in this chapter. If that's not something you want to read, then please don't.

Hartley was not the type of person who had a lot of friends. While he did believe that many people misunderstood him and treated him unfairly he wasn't arrogant enough to believe that he wasn't the least bit at fault. He was very much aware of his lack of social skills, and his ignorance on such matters often lead to him behaving in a way that others saw as rude or standoffish.

There had been a few people that had been willing to look past Hartley's social awkwardness, but none of them dared to truly get close to him. What usually ended up scaring those people away was how Hartley appeared to be heartless. These people would have problems, Hartley would be less than sympathetic towards them, and they took that to mean that Hartley didn't care about them or their problems at all.

Hartley actually had reasons as to why he came off this way. The first being that he sometimes just didn't notice. Hartley wasn't good with reading emotions and feelings, so sometimes unless something was explicitly spelled out for him he was completely unaware of it. If it was extremely obvious that a person was upset then Hartley could tell that something was wrong, and yet he usually still didn't do anything about it.

Simply because Hartley usually didn't know what he could or should do.

Hartley didn't know the first thing about being comforting. It was such a completely foreign concept to him. He had told as much to a few people, and they often told him that it was just something that he had to practice. That he just didn't know what to do because he hadn't ever been taught before.

Hartley found these comments ridiculous and completely unhelpful. How was he supposed to practice something that he didn't know how to do in the first place? Practice was how you got better at something, not how you learned. And another thing, being sympathetic and comforting wasn't exactly something you could learn, it was just something that happened, and it really didn't happen naturally for Hartley.

It wasn't that he didn't feel sympathy towards people, he just never knew what to do about it. So he usually ended up doing nothing. He just left the other person alone to work through their issues by themselves, or he would go find somebody else who could do something to help them.

Usually Hartley didn't care much about not being overly sympathetic, but right then he wished that for Axel's sake this was something that he was good at. It was almost torture for Hartley to be standing right outside his bedroom door with a distressed Axel by himself on the other side. He listened to Axel's sobs and panicked cries and couldn't think of anything to do for him other than to call his name and ask him to open the door.

Hartley felt so completely useless, and he hated it. As if the knowledge that he couldn't do anything to help Axel wasn't bad enough, Hartley also had to deal with the guilt of causing this.

Hartley wasn't a stranger to being the cause of somebody's distress. Whether intentionally or on accident he frequently said or did something that ultimate ended up offending somebody. Whenever it was on accident, and even sometimes when he did it intentionally he immediately felt bad about it, but didn't apologize or try to fix things. He just left things be.

He couldn't do that to Axel though, because he had seriously screwed up, and Axel deserved better than for him to treat it as though it was nothing. But even though Hartley wanted to help Axel, he still didn't have the slightest idea of how to go about doing so.

Why did friendship, and relationships in general, have to be so impossible and difficult?

It didn't help that Axel had made things infinitely more impossible by locking him out of his own room and refusing to talk about this. How was Hartley supposed to fix things if Axel didn't let him explain himself? Briefly Hartley wondered if Axel would bother listening if he apologized beforehand, but he dismissed the notion before it fully formed in his mind because it just wasn't going to happen. Hartley wasn't going to apologize because he had nothing to apologize for. Everything he had been doing was for Axel's own good, even if he didn't realize it.

Hartley understood that Axel was angry and scared about his refusal to let him leave, and yet even though it was a regrettable decision it was one that Hartley would make again if he had to. He really was just trying to keep Axel safe. Hartley had always known, almost from the second he had met Axel, that there was something different about him. Axel was different from other people. His brain was wired in a different way, and while that wasn't necessarily a bad thing or something that needed to be 'fixed', he still needed help.

Over the past few weeks Hartley had watched as Axel's behavior and mood had flipped from hyperactive to sullen. Hartley didn't believe that such a leap was supposed to be normal, but Axel talked about it as if it happened every month or so. To Axel, it was a regular thing, and Hartley wasn't even sure if he realized that it wasn't normal for most people.

Axel's sudden mood and behavioral change had been worrying enough, but he hadn't thought much of it until that first night that Axel had begun to stay here. It was at that time that Hartley had begun to realize that whatever was going on with Axel was much more serious than he had originally thought.

It wasn't that Hartley wanted to keep Axel prisoner, he had just been trying to protect him. Hartley was seriously worried about Axel's mental state, so he took it upon himself to constantly keep an eye on Axel, to make sure that he didn't do anything foolish or dangerous. Hartley was just trying to keep his friend safe. It wasn't his fault that Axel didn't realize that.

Although maybe he would if Hartley had bothered to explain it. That had been where he had messed up earlier. If he had sat Axel down and told him that he was worried and why, maybe they wouldn't be here right now. Maybe things would be perfectly fine between them and Axel wouldn't be under the impression that Hartley thought that he was insane, which he didn't.

Hartley may be nearly positive that Axel had some undiagnosed mental issues, but that did not mean that he was crazy. There was a difference between the two, even if Axel himself didn't know it.

Hartley wanted Axel to understand it though. He wanted Axel to get the help he needed without thinking that he was insane. If it were any different subject, or any other person that needed the explanation Hartley would have already talked with him about it. As it was though Hartley just couldn't find the words to explain what he meant without feeling like he would sound like a completely insensitive idiot.

So instead of standing outside the door of his bedroom and explaining things to Axel, Hartley gave him space for a bit, because he didn't know how to do anything else. Hartley told himself that he would talk to Axel eventually, just as soon as he found the right words to say and Axel had calmed down. Hartley wasn't just stalling. He wasn't.

He had managed to convince himself of that while he stayed away from his bedroom. But after an hour of silence from Axel Hartley realized that he probably shouldn't do this for much longer. He couldn't just avoid Axel forever. He had just been planning on staying away until things weren't awkward anymore, but he couldn't very well do that when any social interaction was always awkward for Hartley.

He just had to man up and get this over with.

Hartley sighed and forced himself to return to his bedroom. He considered going and looking for something to pick the lock to his bedroom, but ultimately decided against it because he suspected that he wouldn't need it.

Hartley had gotten to learn quite a lot of things about Axel while he had been staying here, and one of the things he had learned was that even if Axel wanted privacy he never locked the doors. He never bothered to lock his apartment door (which was very dangerous). He didn't even lock the bathroom door when he used it, which, combined with Hartley's hesitation to knock on doors because he felt foolish doing so, lead to quite a few embarrassing situations.

Hartley had only ever been irritated by Axel's refusal to do something as simple as locking a door, but at least it would come in handy today. Hartley went to his bedroom door and hesitantly grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. He wasn't sure whether he felt relieved or disappointed when the knob turned and the door opened. Hartley took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Immediately Hartley saw that something was seriously wrong.

Axel wasn't in the room at all. He wasn't asleep on the bed. He wasn't messing around with Hartley's flute. He wasn't playing with Hamelin. He just wasn't there. Hartley's eyes jumped to the window and he felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw the window was broken, and from the looks of things it had been broken from the inside.

Axel had been so desperate to get out that he had honestly felt the need to literally break out. Hartley hadn't meant to make Axel feel so trapped. He had just been trying to help. Hartley hadn't even considered that he could have just been making things worse. And now Axel was gone.

"Dammit, Axel." Hartley swore under his breath. He had no idea where Axel had gone. It really was infuriating sometimes just how unpredictable Axel could be. How could he possibly know where Axel had went? It wasn't like Hartley was a freaking psychic or something...wait a second.

Hartley had a plan. Not a very appealing one, but an idea nonetheless. He may not be able to have visions of people, but it just so happened that he knew somebody he could. And because of what Hartley had done for Team Flash earlier that day, that somebody just happened to owe him a favor. Hartley took his cell phone out of his pocket and did something he never thought he would do.

He called Cisco Ramon.

"I need you to vibe something for me." Hartley said the second the other line was answered.

"What?" Hartley rolled his eyes at Cisco's flabbergasted tone. He really didn't want to deal with this right now. "Oh, hello to you too, Hartley...uh, what are you calling for? I didn't even know that you knew my number."

"Just shut up for a second." Hartley snapped. "I need...gah, I need your help."

There was silence on the other line for nearly a minute. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Do not make me repeat myself, Ramon." Hartley clutched the phone tightly, already regretting this decision. "I know you heard me. So, can you do it or not?"

"Uh, what exactly do you need?" Cisco asked.

"Axel ran off. I want to find him before anything happens." Hartley said.

"You think that something's going to happen?" Cisco sounded as nervous as Hartley felt, though he was probably more concerned about Axel doing something to endanger those around him while Hartley was worried more about Axel doing something to hurt himself.

"Will you just help me find him?" Hartley was not in the mood for dealing t in the mood for listening to Cisco's theories about Axel being a terrorist or a threat to society. He just wanted to find his friend. "And could we not involve the others in this?"

"Uh, I'll see what I can do." Cisco agreed. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to vibe on him or anything, it doesn't really work like that, but I can help you look."

"What could you possibly do to help if you won't vibe him?" Hartley asked condescendingly.

"Hey, I'm more than just a guy with powers." Cisco objected indignantly. "I can still be useful without them." Hartley could hear him tapping away on his computer system at S.T.A.R. Labs.

"What are you doing?" Hartley asked, because he liked being kept in the loop, and if Cisco was doing something idiotic he planned on stopping him right in his tracks.

"I'm looking into police reports, seeing if there's anything about your friend." Cisco said. Hartley opened his mouth to argue but Cisco beat him to the punch. "I know you don't think he's a bad guy, and I'm not saying he is, but I think we can both agree that if he's out there unsupervised he might do something. Something that the cops might involve themselves in."

As much as Hartley wanted to argue, he really couldn't, because Cisco wasn't wrong. Axel's idea of things that were relaxing and enjoyable were sometimes on the wrong side of the law. Axel didn't seem to understand the harm in what he did, and he thought that as long as he didn't get caught it was fine. Hartley, who did sometimes find laws and rules to be pointless as well, let Axel do as he pleased and then reeled him back in if things started to get too out of hand.

"Have you found anything?" Hartley asked after a minute, because he was getting impatient and in his opinion he had given Cisco more than enough time to hack into the police reports.

"Geeze, give me a second here. I'm going as fast as I...Oh no." Hartley became nervous at Cisco's words. Had something happened? Had he found Axel? Had his computer shut down?

"What is it?" Hartley needed answers.

"I don't think it has anything to do with Axel." Cisco assured him quickly. "The police just got a report though. Apparently there's a jumper somewhere."

"What?!"

"But I don't think it's Axel." Cisco repeated, but Hartley barely heard him. He suddenly remembered the many instances when Axel had said something unsettling.

"Don't make me do this anymore."

"Make the pain go away."

"Living sucks."

Hartley cursed under his breath and tried to keep his panic from completely rising up and taking control. He had to be calm about this. "Where are they?"

"Dude, I don't think it's-" Cisco started to say again, but Hartley wasn't hearing it.

"Where, Ramon?" Hartley snapped in a 'no nonsense' tone. "What's the damn address?" Hartley internally told himself to calm down and not freak out prematurely. After all, he still didn't know for sure that it really was Axel. For all he knew it really was just some other lost soul. All of Hartley's doubts flew out the window when he heard the address that Cisco shared with him. He vaguely knew that building.

Hartley was very familiar with Central City, and he improved his knowledge of the layout of the city each time he went out by memorizing the addresses of everywhere he stopped by. Hartley had been to that address before, and Axel had been the one to take him there. Hartley had only been there once before but he still committed it to memory because it meant a lot to Axel.

That simple roof that beautifully overlooked the city was Axel's favorite place in the world. Hartley had found it curious that even though Axel loved that roof he hadn't been there for a few weeks. Now Axel's reason that he gave for not going there rang through Hartley's head.

"I promised myself I wouldn't go up there when I'm like this."

'Like what?' Hartley had wondered to himself at the time. Now though he suspected that he knew what Axel had been saying, but he desperately hoped that he was wrong.

"It's him." Hartley said blankly into the phone. He didn't have any concrete evidence to support his theory, but the disgusting churning feeling in his gut told him that he was right.

"What? How do you know?" Of course, now Cisco sounded concerned. Hartley barely noticed and didn't care at all. He had other things on his mind right now more important than Cisco's sudden concern over a human life.

Hartley had a friend to save.

He quickly ended his call and carelessly threw his phone onto the bed. He didn't bother grabbing a jacket or anything, and wouldn't have even bothered with shoes if he hadn't already been wearing them. Hartley just got out of his home as quickly as he could and he ran as if his life depended on it. It didn't though, but somebody else's might.

Hartley didn't bother wasting time trying to get a cab, not at this hour when everybody and their child seemed to have someplace to be. Traffic was horrible, cabs were scarce, and at times like these it was almost faster to walk. Hartley was just extremely grateful that he remembered how to get to where he needed to go and that it wasn't all that far away.

He just hoped his decision to not get faster transportation didn't end with disastrous results.

After a short amount of time that felt much too long to Hartley he got to the address. One quick glance up to the roof confirmed that his gut feeling had been correct. That was most definitely Axel up there. Hartley didn't know whether to be terrified that his only friend was in this situation at all, or immensely relieved that he hadn't actually done anything yet.

Seriously, Axel was just standing there. His body language didn't suggest that he was seconds away from taking that last fatal step, but he was also way too close to the edge. Hartley wanted Axel to be okay, and right then that meant he needed to get down from there. Now!

Hartley pushed his way past the small crowd that was gathering. He literally shoved away anybody who got in his way and didn't even feel bad about it, because if these people were going to just stand around like a bunch of idiots while it looked like somebody was about to kill themselves, they honestly deserved to be shoved around a bit. Didn't any of them have anything better to do than to gawk at and murmur about Axel as if he was some sort of freak show?

Hartley dashed into the alleyway and quickly began climbing up the fire escape. Just like last time, except also nothing like it because Hartley distinctly remembered that his chest hadn't felt like it had been about to beat out of his chest when they had come her the first time.

Hartley pulled himself up onto the roof and froze, suddenly unsure of what he was supposed to do. Was he supposed to talk Axel away from the edge? Was he supposed to just wait and let Axel step back on his own, and only intervene if things began to take a turn for the worst? Was Hartley just supposed to wait until the authorities got here and let them handle this?

Without thinking Hartley took a step towards Axel, followed by another. He still wasn't entirely sure of what he planned on doing, he was just doing what felt right. Slowly he approached his friend until he was standing just behind him.

"Axel?" Hartley hesitantly reached out and took Axel's hand in his own. Axel didn't try to pull away, but he didn't grip Hartley's hand back. He didn't react at all. He just stood there, staring out at the city.

Axel's eyes were wet with unshed tears and full of so much longing and pain. Hartley wondered if that hurt had always been hidden behind his goofy smile and childlike behavior, and if so, how had he not noticed it before? Even if Hartley had seen Axel's pain these past few weeks, how could he have missed just how bad it was?

"I'm sorry." Hartley muttered. He squeezed Axel's hand and felt a twitch in return. "I'm so sorry." Hartley took a step back and ever so gently pulled on Axel's hand. To his relief Axel followed without the least bit existence. Step by step Hartley was able to get Axel away from the edge. The instant the two of them were a safe distance away Hartley wrapped his arms around Axel and just held him.

Hartley was not a touchy feely person. He rarely cooperated with hugs, and never was the one to initiate them, but right now, for some reason, it didn't feel as awkward as it normally did. Even though Axel was just standing there numbly and Hartley was just holding him it still felt okay. Or, at the very least, it made Hartley feel like maybe things were going to be okay.

Few a while Axel just stood there blankly, not tense, not relaxed, just completely out of it. As the minutes passed though he seemed to come back to himself. Hartley could feel Axel begin to shake. He could hear his weak whimpers and sobs. And Hartley could do nothing for him but let him know that he was there for him.

"Let me take you home, Axel." Hartley said after some time. Axel hiccuped a small sob and Hartley decided to just take that as a yes. He took Axel's hand again and slowly began to lead the way. It took some time for the two of them to get down from the roof, and even more time for Hartley to figure out how to get back home without being bothered by those stupid idiots who had been watching Axel the entire time from the ground. Finally though, by some miracle, they were able to make it back uneventfully.

"Come on." Hartley said gently. They were safe in his home now, and Axel was starting to look dead on his feet (that was a horrible phrase) and Hartley himself felt like he could use a good night sleep right about now. He didn't care how early or late it actually was, he just felt tired, and he imagined that Axel felt the same way.

Hartley brought Axel into his bedroom. Immediately, with no coaxing from Hartley needed, Axel dropped his hand, crawled onto the bed and just curled up on it. Hartley sighed and went to close the curtain over the broken window to keep at least some of the outside air from getting in. He then went over to the bed and pulled his blanket over so that it actually covered Axel.

Hartley was about to step away from the bed when a shaking, pale hand grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Wait." Axel said so quietly that it was almost inaudible. "Don't leave me."

Hartley felt like his heart was going to break. "Don't worry." He muttered in response. "I won't." Making sure to not let go of Axel's hand Hartley climbed onto the bed himself, right next to him. Axel turned and snuggled up close to him, and Hartley let him. Hartley put a protective arm around Axel and with his other hand he began to stroke his hair dark hair, just like his own mother used to do when he was just a kid.

Hartley's mind returned to something else his mom used to do when he had been a child. She used to sing him a lullaby when he couldn't sleep. Even when Hartley couldn't hear a thing his mother still sang as she held him close to her chest so he could feel the vibrations as she sang. It was only when he got older, after he got hearing implants, could he hear just what his mom had been singing to him. And now, Hartley sang those words to Axel.

"Nothing's gonna harm you," Hartley sang quietly as he held Axel close. "Not while I'm around."


	10. Chapter 10

Hartley didn't get any sleep that night. His mind was far too busy, with thoughts flying a mile a minute, that sleep wasn't even an option. Even if he could sleep, he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to. He half believed that if he closed his eyes for just a second he would open his eyes and Axel would be gone.

It was a completely terrifying thought that made Hartley's stomach roll uneasily. He had no idea how to make the thought or the feelings go away. The only thing he could do to stop himself from having a total breakdown was by tightening his grip on his sleeping friend. Just being able to feel that Axel was there and alive was enough to keep Hartley from going completely over the edge, but it wasn't able to calm him down entirely.

Axel may be alive right now, but Hartley had no way of knowing how long that would last for. It may be pessimistic feeling, but it was also logical. If Axel was suicidal, and, after yesterday, Hartley was beginning to think that that was a very real possibility, then who was to say that he wouldn't try something like this again?

If it was even the least bit possible Hartley would spend every second of every day with Axel, just to keep an eye on him, but, as yesterday had proven, that wasn't enough. Hartley couldn't just stop Axel from doing something like this again, he had to figure out how to stop Axel from wanting to do it. And Hartley knew that that wasn't something that he could do by himself.

Axel needed help, real help.

Help that Hartley just couldn't give.

What Hartley could do though was find somebody who was trained for this type of thing. Personally he knew a couple of therapists that he talked to when he was younger (his parents had insisted) and if none of them worked out Hartley was fairly certain that he could easily find more options for somebody who could talk to Axel.

That could wait until morning though. Until then, Hartley was stuck in his bed, because while he may not be sleeping, Axel certainly was, and Hartley wasn't about to leave his side. After dealing with his torturous thoughts for a bit Hartley had decided to just get his phone out of his pocket, put in his earbuds and listen to music until morning, or whenever Axel decided to wake up.

It was fortunate that Hartley was never one to get bored while listening to music, because it wasn't until late morning did he even feel Axel shifting slightly beside him. Hartley immediately paused the music, right in the middle of a good song, and turned his complete attention to Axel. "Are you awake, Axel?" Hartley asked.

Axel moaned and pulled the blanket over his face. "No." He muttered tiredly.

Hartley sighed and pulled the blanket off of him. "Don't play this game today, Axel. I have things I need to do."

"So go do them." Axel rolled over. "Just let me sleep."

"You honestly think I'm going to leave you alone for a second after last night?" Hartley's tone was somewhat harsh, but it always was when he got worried. Axel lifted his head and looked at Hartley, a slightly confused expression on his face.

"Last night?" Axel tilted his head ever so slightly. "What happened last...oh." Axel's eyes widened almost comically when his memories caught up with him. He groaned and let his head fall back to the bed again. "Can't you just forget about it, Hart?" Axel pleaded. "It was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing." Hartley said heatedly. "And I can't just forget that my only friend was going to kill himself."

"...I wasn't actually going to do it." Axel muttered. "I never do."

"Believe it or not that doesn't make me feel any better." Axel frowned at Hartley's words and drew his legs right up close to his chest. Hartley sighed. "Look, if you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to talk about it." At least, not right now.

"Really?" Axel's eyes were filled with so much hope at the prospect of not talking about what was wrong with him.

"Yeah, really." Hartley said with a sad smile. He knew they couldn't just avoid this forever and pretend like it had never happened, but Hartley thought that Axel needed a break. He was upset and stressed enough as it was. Hartley believed that he could give Axel at least a few hours break from life.

"Come on, I'm hungry." Hartley grabbed Axel's hand and dragged him off of the bed.

"Do you have any cereal?" Axel adjusted his hand so that the hold was more comfortable for him. Hartley raised an eyebrow at this. He had thought that Axel would drop his hand immediately, because while he was a rather physical person and loved invading other people's personal spaces, Axel wasn't much of a hand holder.

"You ask me that question every day." Hartley said in an irritated tone, even though he wasn't truly annoyed. Axel tilted his head and just looked at Hartley, who rolled his eyes. "But yes, I finally got some of that sugary cereal of yours, just to get you to stop bugging me about it."

"Yes!" Axel shouted triumphantly and actually embraced Hartley, nearly knocking him over. Hartley shoved him away, but Axel didn't seem the least bit bothered by the dismissal. He just ran off into the kitchen. Hartley shook his head and followed after him. By the time Hartley entered the kitchen Axel had already found the cereal and was looking at the options.

"I didn't know what kind you wanted, so I just grabbed a few." Hartley explained as he leaned against the doorway and just watched him.

"That's okay." Axel grabbed the nearest box of cereal and poured some into a bowl. Hartley raised an eyebrow when Axel then picked up a second box and poured some of that in there too. Axel ended up putting three or four different kinds of cereal in his one bowl, which was now almost overflowing.

"Don't you think it would be easier to just have a little of one cereal, and then a little of another when you're finished?" Hartley asked.

"Nope." Axel poured some milk into his bowl, not even caring when some of his cereal fell out of the bowl. He just picked up the pieces and popped them in his mouth.

"You're going to get yourself sick eating like that." Hartley said as he poured some cereal into a bowl of his own, though he didn't really mean it. Hartley was just glad to see Axel eating something, and willingly too.

Axel, being the very immature child that he was, stuck his tongue out at Hartley, who grimaced at the sight of half chewed food in Axel's mouth. Hartley spent the remainder of the meal completely avoiding looking down at his food, because he was not going to subject himself to Axel's childish behavior.

...Wait, why was Axel behaving childishly? Just minutes ago he had been acting as depressed as he had been for weeks now. Last night he had tried to kill himself, and yet here he was acting like his old self again. It didn't make sense, and whenever something didn't make sense Hartley observed it until it did make sense, because he liked knowing what was going on.

Hartley risked a look up and saw Axel looking as cheerful as he ever had before...except he wasn't. Axel was grinning, and it would have looked normal enough if it weren't for his eyes. Hartley had never really understood the meaning of the phrase 'the eyes are the mirror of the soul'. He knew what the phrase meant, but he never understood it, until now.

Axel's eyes didn't have that brightness to them that they usually did. Even these past couple of weeks when Axel had been feeling down Hartley had still seen a spark in his friend's eyes, though it had been dimmer than before. Right now though that spark was completely gone. Axel's eyes were dull, almost lifeless, and so tired.

Whatever Axel was feeling right now, Hartley knew that it wasn't joy or anything else even similar to it. He may be acting like he was okay, but it was just that, an act. Axel had put on a mask and was hiding what he was feeling, from everybody else, and possibly also from himself. He was pretending that nothing had happened and that everything was fine, because that was how he wanted it to be.

But that wasn't the way that things were.

"Stop faking things, Axel." Hartley said.

"I-I'm not-" Axel's grin fell slightly.

"You are." Hartley insisted. "Trust me, I can tell." Hartley had been to enough high society parties to be able to tell when people were faking it, and Axel most definitely was. Hartley just wished that he understood that he didn't have to.

"But I thought you didn't want me to be upset." Axel sounded wary and oh so confused. "You don't want me to be sad, but you don't want me not to be sad either. What do you want from me?"

"What? Axel, of course I don't want you upset, but that doesn't mean I want you faking it." Hartley didn't understand what was going through Axel's head and why he was so confused. "Look, forget about what I want. Just let yourself feel however you feel and don't worry about what other people think, okay?"

"Uh, okay." Axel still sounded like he didn't understand, but he dropped his fake smile anyways. Axel looked down at his food, which he had only half eaten. "Hey, Hart?" Axel's voice was quiet and unsure, and not like him at all.

"Yeah?" Hartley frowned.

"Um, you sang a song last night, after-" Axel trailed off unsurely. He shook his head. "I just...what was that song?"

"It's called 'Not While I'm Around'." Hartley said automatically. "It's from Sweeney Todd."

"Whoa, wait a second, there's a musical about Sweeney Todd?" Axel's eyes are wide.

"So I assume you know the legend." Hartley shouldn't really be surprised by that at this point. Axel was strangely knowledgeable about the more grotesque legends and myths.

"Of course I do. They seriously made a musical out of it?" Axel's interest was peaked now. "They'd better not have ruined it and made it all mushy."

"Trust me, Axel, you would love this movie." The songs were decent and the story was all kinds of messed up. Hartley didn't think there was anything about this show that Axel wouldn't like. "I have the movie, if you want to watch it." That would be a good way to distract him.

"Okay." Axel practically leapt from his spot on the table to plop himself down on the floor in front of the television. Hartley wondered as he put the movie in just why Axel always insisted on sitting on the floor when there was a perfectly good couch two feet away. With Axel entertained Hartley felt like it was safe enough for him to make a few phone calls.

Hartley returned to the kitchen where he could still see Axel, but was far enough away that they wouldn't disturb each other. Hartley didn't want Axel to get the wrong idea about what he was doing, so he didn't even want Axel to know about it. He knew that Axel had to learn eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later, but for right now it was probably best that he was kept in the dark.

The first therapist that Hartley called was nice enough, but the second that he heard the name Axel Walker he hastily made up some stupid excuse and hung up. Hartley frowned at his phone. Well, that was discouraging. No matter, though, he had other people he could call.

Except Hartley didn't do much better with any of the next ten therapists and psychiatrists that he called. None of them were even willing to see Axel, because they were all cowardly, useless idiots.

None of them were willing to treat Axel Walker because they all knew who he was (Hartley hadn't known that the news of The Tricksters had been that well known) and were to afraid to do anything to help him, all because of something the first Trickster had done years ago.

James Jesse had been allowed to see a psychologist, but had soon talked her into committing suicide. James Jesse was obviously a manipulative bastard, and Hartley understood therapists and psychiatrists not wanting to risk talking to him, but Axel? It was as though none of them comprehended that Axel Walker was a completely different man than James Jesse was. Just because Axel had made the mistake of following in a mad man's footsteps didn't mean that he should be condemned to a life of mental health issues.

Or, at least, Hartley didn't think so, but apparently every single therapist in Central City disagreed.

"Hey, Hart, you need help smashing that phone?" Axel's voice called out, making Hartley jump. "Because I would totally be game for that."

"I probably shouldn't." Hartley sighed and turned off his phone after yet another disappointing phone call that had given him no results. Hartley looked at Axel and was surprised to see him holding Hartley's wireless home phone in his hand. "What do you have that for?"

"Oh, Cisco called for you." Axel tossed the phone to Hartley, who caught it uneasily. What could Cisco possibly be calling for? It had sure as hell not be any more Flash business.

"What do you want?" Hartley asked with a tired voice. He was so sick of talking on the phone at this point. He was just done.

"Why didn't you tell me that Axel was alright?" Cisco all but shouted from the other end, catching Hartley off guard. And Cisco said that he had bad phone greetings. And why had Cisco been worried about Axel anyways? "You can't just hang up after saying that somebody who's about to jump off a roof is your friend. You didn't even call back to tell me what was going on. Not cool, man."

Hartley raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think this was any of your business."

"Look, I may barely know Axel, but he seemed like an okay guy when I met him, and I don't want him to die." Cisco said. Hartley hadn't even considered that anybody else would even care in the least bit what happened to Axel. "...Is he okay?"

"Well, he's alive." Hartley sighed. He glanced towards the living room where Axel had returned to watching his movie and was completely oblivious to their conversation. "I'm not so sure about 'okay' though."

"Do you think he should talk to a therapist or something?" Cisco suggested.

"What do you think I've been doing all morning?" Hartley snapped. "Every idiot I've called refuses to see him. They seem to think he's going to turn them suicidal."

"What? He's the one who's suicidal." Cisco said.

"I know." Hartley groaned. "Nothing I say will convince anybody to help him."

The other line was silent for a minute as Cisco thought. "...maybe we can talk to the cops or something. They'd probably be able to pull some strings."

"But none of them would be willing." Hartley guessed.

"Look, how about I talk to Joe about this? He'd probably listen." Cisco suggested, and Hartley actually considered it. Joe probably would be able to arrange something, and if the request was coming from Cisco he might even listen to them.

"That would probably help out a lot." Hartley forced himself to say, despite his pride. "...Thank you." It felt so wrong to Hartley to actually be thanking Cisco for something, but as much as he hated to admit it, Cisco could do more for Axel than Hartley could right now, and it meant a lot that he was wanting to help.

"Don't worry about it, man." Cisco said easily and Hartley breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't rub the thanks in his face. "I'll talk to Joe now, you just keep an eye on your friend."

"That's what I was planning on doing." Hartley looked towards the living room again. "Call me after you talk to Joe."

"Alright. Later, Hartley." With the conversation finished Hartley hung up his phone and went to join Axel at his movie.

"So, how is it?" Hartley asked, though by the way Axel's eyes seemed to be glued to the screen he thought it was safe to assume that he thought it was good.

"This show is awesome." Axel said, sounding more like his old self than he had in a long time. He looked at Hartley with wide eyes that actually had some of that brightness back in them. "There was a song about eating people." Axel giggled.

"Yeah, I thought you would like that one." Hartley chuckled. He was almost disappointed to have missed seeing Axel's reaction to the song. Hartley imagined that he had been laughing his ass off at all of the puns the disgusting song had to offer.

"Everybody in this show is so messed up." Axel turned his eyes back to the screen.

"Yeah, they are." Hartley sat down on the ground next to Axel. Normally he would sit on the couch, as it was far more comfortable, but not today. Even though he was sure his butt was going to be sore later, Hartley still wanted to sit on the ground if it meant being close to Axel, to just know that he was there.

The two of them continued watching the movie, with both of them enjoying it far more than maybe they should have. Hartley normally had very mixed feelings for this movie, but watching it with Axel made it a thousand times more enjoyable. Axel's interest in the show was absolutely contagious.

Hartley knew that all too soon the movie would be over, Cisco would call back with a report on what Joe had said, and their messed up life would continue on from there. Right now though, Hartley was just glad for the break, for the chance to feel like things were normal.

He just hoped that things really would be back to normal eventually.


	11. Chapter 11

The two of them spent all afternoon just hanging out. They watched a few movies, Hartley actually taught Axel how to successfully make a sound come out of a flute, and, best of all, there wasn't any talking...okay, there was actually a lot of talking, but Hartley was careful to avoid bringing up...stuff, so Axel was perfectly content.

He should have known that his luck would run out sooner than later.

"Why do we have to be here?" Axel asked for the tenth time as he drew Hartley's hoodie, which he swore he was never going to take off again, tighter around his body. He and Hartley had had a decent afternoon together, and then BAM! Hartley gets a phone call from Cisco (for two people who seemingly hate each other's guts, they certainly talk to each other a lot) and suddenly Hartley was dragging Axel out of the house to a far too nice neighborhood that he already didn't like.

"Axel, I already told you, there's somebody I have to talk to." Hartley answered boredly as though he had said just as much multiple times already, and he had. "And before you even ask me again, no, I can't just talk with him on the phone or wait until later."

Axel frowned and crossed his arms. He wanted to suggest that Hartley just go see this guy on his own, but he knew that he would never go for it. Hartley may have been acting cool and natural all day, but it was obvious that he hadn't forgotten what had happened last night. There was no way Hartley was going to leave him alone again so soon, and they both knew it.

Axel scowled and shoved his hands in the jacket pocket. "...Fine." He muttered, but Hartley had already made his way to to the front door of one of the houses and knocked on it. Axel sword under his breath and grudgingly went to join Hartley. By the time he got there the door had been opened by a man that Axel didn't know, but he thought that kinda recognized.

Or maybe he just thought that because of the way the man's eyes narrowed at him, which meant that whoever this was definitely knew who Axel was.

Well, wasn't that just freaking fantastic?

Axel was beginning to think that this whole meeting just wasn't worth it. He was seriously thinking about running of and risking Hartley's wrath. Before he could move an inch though somebody else appeared in the doorway, somebody that Axel actually knew and somewhat liked.

"Cisco, what're you doing here?" Axel grinned, though really he should have expected him to be here. After all, Cisco was the one who had probably told Hartley to come here. Still, it was a nice change to see a familiar, friendly face. Sure, from their last encounter Axel knew that Cisco didn't entirely trust him, but that was to be expected from anybody who knew who he was. At least Cisco still treated him like a normal person, and that was a nice change.

It was definitely a preferred reaction to the other guy, who just stared at Axel distrustfully. The man turned to Cisco. "You never said that he'd be coming."

Hartley rolled his eyes. "I didn't tell him because I thought it would be obvious." Man, Axel loved it when Hartley used that superior tone on other people. "I wasn't going to leave him on his own after what happened yesterday." Wait a second, had Hartley really told these guys...That wasn't cool.

"So, what, you want him to join in our conversation?" The man raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not." Hartley scoffed at the idea, which Axel didn't know how he felt about. Sure, he probably didn't want to listen to whatever boring thing these guys were going to be talking about, but he would have at least liked to have the option. "I thought that he could hang out with Wally."

"No." The man said quickly. "Absolutely not!" That man was sounding like a protective parent who thought that Axel was too 'unstable' to be around 'normal' kids. Axel liked this guy even less now, and he was getting tired of them all talking about him as if he wasn't there.

People seemed to do that a lot.

Axel pushed his way past the three of them and made his way inside. It was ironic that Hartley, Cisco, and stranger man were so busy talking about him that they didn't even notice that he wasn't with them anymore. It was funny just how little people noticed things that were literally right in front of them.

Axel took a quick glance around and scowled. From what he could tell from this front hallway the house was as nice as it had looked on the outside. It was fairly clean, but there were stills signs that people lived here and called this place 'home'. Basically, the house just felt safe and kinda cozy.

Axel hated it.

None of the places he had ever lived as a child had this feel to them. They had all been super chaotic, and not in a good way. Axel felt safer here than he ever had anywhere he had actually lived, and it irked him to no end. Why did these privileged jerks get to live in a warm home in a safe neighborhood while Axel had to worry about getting mugged every night when he walked back to his leaky apartment?

It wasn't fair.

Axel's mood lifted when he saw that there was a young man who looked about his age sitting on the couch, completely oblivious to his presence. Axel grinned. He could have fun with this.

Axel silently tread towards the couch and when he got as close as he thought he could without being noticed he struck. "Hi!" Axel all but shouted as he jumped at the couch. He giggled slightly when he saw the person jump. It was always fun to scare people like this. "I'm Axel."

"Who?" The guy looked cautious, which was probably understandable. Still, Axel hated that look of distrust in his eyes.

"Axel." He repeated. "I let myself in while I waited for Hartley to convince the grumpy guy outside that it's safe for me to come in."

"You're a friend of Hartley's?" The guy immediately looked more curious than cautious. "Dad did say that Hartley would be coming over, but he said nothing about a friend."

"Dad? You mean grumpy guy?" Huh, so that must mean that this guy was probably Wally. Axel smirked at the thought. If this was Wally than Axel had successfully struck up a conversation with the one person that the guy outside wanted him to have nothing to do with, and he hadn't even done it intentionally.

"Yeah, grumpy guy." Wally nodded. "He might prefer you to call him Joe, though. And he's really not that bad once you get to know him."

Axel glanced towards the front door where Hartley and grumpy guy, sorry, Joe, were still arguing about him. "I don't think that's going to happen. Your dad doesn't seem to like me very much."

"Yeah, I get that." Wally grinned. "I felt the same way when I first got here."

Axel frowned. "Got here? Where were you before?" He didn't care if he was sticking his nose somewhere it wasn't welcome, he was curious.

"With my mom." Wally said easily. "I didn't even know Joe at all until recently, let alone that he was my father."

Axel frowned. He kind of knew the feeling. "So what changed?"

"My mom got really sick." Wally's tone was sad, which told Axel that whatever his mom had been sick with she hadn't recovered from. But Wally didn't sound too beat up about it, and he seemed okay with talking about it, so Axel figured it had been at least a bit since it had happened and Wally was beginning to move on. "She didn't want to leave me with no family, so she brought me here."

"Why did you stick around if you thought your dad didn't like you?" Axel asked. Wally seemed smarter than that.

"Oh, he liked me fine." Wally said. "I just thought that he cared more about Barry at first."

"Who's Barry?" Axel asked while he hoped passionately that it wasn't the one Barry that he also knew.

"He's, well, he's my dad's other son." Wally said. "He got taken in by my dad when he was a kid, and they're still very close."

Axel winced. "That must've been fun." It sounded absolutely terrible, to meet your dad for the first time and see that he already had a son, and one that he wasn't even related to. This family was beginning to seem pretty messed up to Axel. Well, messed up was better than absolutely perfect like the state of the house had implied their lives were like. Axel could deal with messed up, it was certainly much more relatable.

"Man, you have no idea." Wally laughed slightly. "My dad thought that the best way for me and Barry to get along was by telling me just how amazing a person Barry was."

"Oh geeze." Axel started giggling. He could see that plan easily backfiring. 'Oh, you don't like this person because you're worried that we like him better than you? Maybe you'll change your mind when we tell you how perfect he is.' It was like a disaster waiting to happen.

""Hey!" Axel and Wally both turned towards the front door where they saw an absolutely furious Joe. Axel didn't want to look at him, he looked kind of intimidating. He turned his gaze to Hartley for a second before he had to turn away from him too. He couldn't stand that look of relief that he saw on Hartley's face. Seriously, it was like Hartley thought that something would happen to him if he was out of his sights for two seconds.

Axel didn't know whether he should be concerned or not that that was his only regret about what he had almost done yesterday. And now he had to deal with an overprotective Hartley...fun. He would almost rather deal with angry Joe than Hartley when he was like this.

"What are you doing?" Joe asked, which was a stupid question. What did he think they were doing?

"Uh, we're talking." Axel said as if it was obvious, because it was.

"Well, stop talking." Joe glared at him. "I told you not to talk to him."

"Actually, you didn't tell me anything." Axel couldn't help but point out. Cisco snorted a bit. At least somebody found some humor in this, unlike Joe, who Axel was pretty sure had an actual stick up his butt.

"Well, I'm telling you now." Joe said.

"Dad, what's the big deal?" Wally stood up. "We were seriously just talking."

"Joe, just let them talk." Hartley said irritably. "Just what do you think Axel is going to do? Spontaneously become an axe murderer, memorize the house layout and kill you all in your sleep?"

Axel laughed out loud. Cynical Hartley was seriously his favorite Hartley ever.

Joe still looked extremely upset by the idea, but by some divine miracle he agreed to let Axel be near Wally. Thank god for that. Axel really didn't want to be banned from hanging out with somebody because he was too 'dangerous'. He got enough of that as a kid, thank you very much.

"So, uh," Wally turned to Axel. "You know anything about mechanics?"

"Sure." Axel said quickly. He thought for a minute before saying, "Do you mean engineering mechanics or working on cars mechanics?"

"A little bit of both." Wally shrugged, but his grin showed off his excitement. "Come on, I'll show you." Wally gestured for Axel to follow him, which he did...But not before he stuck his tongue out at Joe, just because he was in a mature mood today.

Wally lead Axel to what seemed to be the house's garage. Axel soon saw what Wally meant when he said that he was talking about both different kinds of mechanics.

"This is some car." Axel wasn't really all that into cars, but even he could appreciate whatever Wally had obviously done with it. It looked ready for a street race and Axel suddenly wanted to see it in action.

"Yeah, it is." Wally was obviously proud of the work he had done on his car. "I tricked it out for drag racing."

"That's so cool." Drag racing was illegal, dangerous, and really fun...at least, Axel thought it was. Honestly, he had never gotten into it before, but it certainly sounded like fun. "Does it go really fast?" After all, what was the point of street racing if you didn't burn rubber while doing it?

"The fastest." Wally smirked. He put his hand on the hood of the car. "I haven't worked on the car for awhile though."

Axel frowned. "Why not? Is it because of your dad?" Joe didn't seem like the type of person who would be okay with his kid street racing.

"Not really." Wally shrugged. "I just...I don't know, it's just not something that I have to do anymore."

"Have to?" Axel raised an eyebrow. Why would anybody have to street race? And Wally seemed too enthusiastic about racing for it to be something that he only did because he had to.

"Don't get me wrong, I love racing." Wally said immediately. "I've always liked going fast, and that's the whole point of it, but the reason I started racing other people is because my mom got sick and we needed a way to pay hospital bills. Now though…"

"Right." Axel got it. No more sick mom, no more hospital bills that needed to be payed. Still, it was kind of sad. "What about your need for speed?"

"Uh, let's just say I have other ways of getting places in a flash." Wally said. He then winced, as if he had said something that he shouldn't have. Axel didn't know what though. Seriously, all he got from what Wally had said was that he was hiding something. The phrase 'let's just say' was practically code for 'this is just a half truth'.

But whatever, if Wally wanted to keep his secrets, Axel would let him. It wasn't as though Axel was in any hurry to share his life story, so why should Wally? So instead of talking about that stuff Axel just let Wally walk him through what different additions he had put on his car. Axel didn't really know a lot about the technical stuff that Wally was talking about, but he did actually get the gist of what he was saying.

The two young men stayed in the garage for a while just talking. Axel was actually enjoying himself, and he certainly felt more normal than he had all day, and he wanted to just keep on hanging out in here with Wally. He didn't want to leave the garage anytime soon, unfortunately they had to...alright, they didn't have to, but Wally strongly suggested looking around the kitchen for some food when he heard Axel's stomach grumble loudly.

Axel wasn't exactly in the mood for eating, but considering he had skipped lunch that day and hadn't had a very filling breakfast he figured he probably should. Axel was not looking forward to finding food, but he quickly changed his mind when Wally mentioned that they probably had some leftover pizza lying around. Axel loved pizza, and no matter how much he wasn't in the mood for eating he would eat some if he had the chance to.

Axel was more eager to follow Wally into the kitchen, but he froze in his tracks when he saw that there was somebody that was already in there. Somebody that didn't like him very much, and the feelings were mutual.

"What are you doing here?" Axel's tone was half annoyed and half panicked, he really didn't want to deal with Hartley's not-friend Barry right now. He didn't want a repeat of what had happened last time they had met. And the fact that it looked like Barry was eating what seemed to be the last of the leftover pizza that Wally had told him about did not make Axel like him any better.

"I could ask you the same thing." Barry's voice was tense, just like it had been last time. It was if he expected Axel to suddenly decide to blow up their house.

Axel didn't like it.

Wally looked between Barry and Axel, a look of confusion on his face. "You two know each other?"

"Unfortunately." Axel crossed his arms and grumbled. His eyes widened when he suddenly realized, "Wait, this Barry is your brother?"

"Uh, yeah," Wally still sounded confused as to how they knew each other, but he didn't pry about it. "And that is my sister, Iris." Axel blinked as he hadn't noticed the young woman standing next to Barry. It was a wonder how he had missed her in the first place, as Iris seemed to be standing so close to Barry that they looked like they were glued together. Axel tilted his head in confusion, because he had seen siblings interact with each other before, and Iris and Barry looked nothing like it. They looked like they were something more.

"Are you two together?" Axel pointed from one to the other.

"So what if we are?" Barry took Iris' hand as a fierce, protective look came into his eyes. Axel rolled his own eyes. Was Barry worried that he would try to steal his girl or something? Yeah, like that was going to happen. Iris was nowhere near Axel's type.

Axel frowned and turned to Wally. "Are they actually together?" Wally nodded. "But, I thought you said that Iris was your sister, and Barry was your…" Just how messed up was this perfectly normal family?

"Just don't think too deeply about it." Wally said quickly. He continued in a quieter voice that was just for Axel's ears. "It's what I do."

Axel snickered and made his way to the side of the kitchen as far away from Barry as he could get. He hoisted himself up onto the counter and sat cross-legged as he watched Wally look through the fridge. His grin turned to a frown when Wally emerged with a container of something that was most definitely not pizza.

"Sorry, man, looks like we're out." Wally said. Axel glared darkly at Barry. So he really had taken the last of the pizza, and he didn't even look sorry about it. The jerk. "We've got some spaghetti from a few days ago. It should still be good."

"...Fine." Axel muttered reluctantly. It may not be pizza, but pasta did claim a close second on his list of favorite foods. "You guys have any french bread?"

"We have garlic bread." Wally gestured to their breadbox.

Axel grinned. "Even better." He couldn't resist spaghetti with garlic bread. It was just so good. The bread wasn't cut yet so while Wally reheated the spaghetti Axel found a knife and cut a few slices. As he did so he could practically feel Barry's glare burning into the back of his neck. He tried to ignore it, but that plan only worked for about six seconds.

"Would you stop looking at me?" Axel clutched the knife tighter and turned around to glare at Barry. He was sick and tired of this guy looking at him as if he was some sort of psychotic freak. "It's making me seriously uncomfortable."

"I'm making you uncomfortable." Great, Barry looked pissed now. "I'm the one who's feeling uncomfortable because there's a terrorist here."

Axel scowled. He hated it, absolutely hated it, that Barry insisted on calling him a terrorist? Didn't the guy have anything better to do? Now Axel was the one who was feeling pissed off. He crossed his arms and glared at Barry. "What did I ever do to you?" Axel was used to people not trusting him, but this seemed different. Barry seemed to actually hate him, which told Axel that it must be because of something personal.

Barry glared back at Axel. "You and James Jesse threatened my dad."

Axel stiffened at the sound of that damned name. A few years ago the name James Jesse brought hope and excitement to Axel, now though all he felt was despair and resentment. "I've threatened a lot of people." Axel said darkly. "You're gonna have to be more specific." Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to use a tone like that when Barry already thought that he was bad news, but hey, Axel was in a really bad mood.

"After you broke James Jesse out of prison the two of you took one of the inmates hostage." Barry said stiffly.

"Oh, him." Axel remembered the guy that Barry was talking about now. "I never liked him." Alright, so maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to say, but what did Barry expect? That his dad and Axel had become best buds? Yeah, that was likely. "He said that James was just using me."

"So he told you the truth." Barry said plainly. Axel was now clutching the knife so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. He didn't want to hear Barry's words because...because they were the truth. Henry Allen (Axel was surprised he actually remembered the guy's name) had been right. James Jesse had lied to him, manipulated him, and completely ruined his life.

He had just been using him. James Jesse had never cared about him. Really, Axel had known this for a while now, but the knowledge still hurt now as much as it ever had. It hurt that for ten years he had been naive and stupid enough to listen to what James Jesse had to say in his letters. Axel had practically worshipped the man, but he had only been seen as a puppet.

A pawn.

Axel had learned his lesson though. Never again would Axel believe another word that came out of that man's mouth because he only ever spoke lies...except…wait a second.

Axel felt his blood run cold. He was such an idiot. He had sworn to never believe James Jesse's lies again, but he had been believing the biggest lie yet this whole time! James had told Axel that the reason he had chosen him was because he was his father.

And Axel had been desperate enough to believe him. It was so pathetic how he had believed the lie so easily. Because there was no way that that hadn't been a lie...right?

But what if it wasn't? What reason would James Jesse have for telling him that if it wasn't true? Axel had already been willing to follow him to the edge of the earth, he didn't need any more persuasion.

Honestly, Axel didn't know which he prefered. On the one hand he was sick and tired of being lied to all the time. On the other hand...if James Jesse really was his father...Axel didn't really know if he wanted that.

He really didn't know what he wanted anymore.

"Dude, you okay?" Axel flinched when he felt Wally touch his arm. Axel's eyes widened. He swung around and drew the blade close to his chest in a protective but still somewhat warning way. He didn't mean it in a totally threatening way, but by the way that Iris, Barry and Wally were watching him cautiously Axel knew that that was what had happened anyway.

What were they so worried about? What did they see when they saw him? Out of the corner of his eye Axel saw a reflective surface of some sort. Out of curiosity he turned towards it and was taken aback by what he saw. There was his reflection, of course, but...it didn't look anything like him.

Reflection Axel was pale and breathing much too deeply (Axel hadn't even realized he was breathing irregularly at all, but now that he could see it...yeah, he felt it now too). His hands were shaking, which was another thing that Axel had failed to notice about himself. Worst of all though were Reflection Axel's eyes which were wide and looked...crazy.

Oh god, he wasn't looking at Axel right now, he was looking at The Trickster.

'But you are The Trickster.' A nasty voice in Axel's head that sounded like his masked self said.

"No, I'm not." Axel muttered fiercely. "Not anymore."

'You really think you can change that easily?' Axel winced at the obvious sneer in the voice's tone. 'He spent years molding you to be just like him. You can't undo that so easily...or at all.'

"Shut up." Axel said outloud.

"Axel, are you okay?" Axel was briefly brought back to reality by Wally talking to him. He forced his eyes away from his reflection and turned towards Wally, who actually looked concerned.

"I'm...fine." Axel said unsurely.

'Please,' The voice was back. 'You haven't been fine in years.' Why did the voice have to be right? 'The closest you've been is when you were with him. Why not stop all this pretending and go back to him?'

"Shut up." Axel said again with a whimper. He did not need to be hearing this right now. He couldn't go back to James Jesse. It was a stupid idea. It was an insane idea.

'Maybe it is insane.' The voice admitted, except it didn't sound so much like his Trickster self anymore. It sounded more like his regular self. 'But it was my idea, and I am you. So, if the idea is insane, what does that say about you?'

"Stop it!" Axel screamed and brought his hands to his ears to try to get the stupid voice to just stop. He felt a sudden sharp pain at the side of his head and he didn't know why. His right hand felt warm and wet. Axel heard something clatter to the ground. He didn't know what it was, and he didn't really care. Axel didn't even care that his head was hurting. All that mattered to him was that the voice had finally shut up.

"Axel!" That was Wally again, but his voice seemed further off than it had before. He sounded really worried though, but about what? And why did he sound so funny?

"What the hell?!" Oh, that was Hartley's voice, and he didn't sound happy. Strange, Axel didn't remember Hartley ever coming into the kitchen. He must've just been distracted and missed it, because Hartley was definitely there now. Axel could even see him and everything.

"Axel, what happened?" In an instant Hartley was standing right in front of Axel. Hartley slowly brought a hand to the side of Axel's head. Axel hissed at the contact because it hurt like hell...why did it hurt? Hartley quickly drew his hand back, almost like he had been burned. Axel's eyes were quickly drawn to Hartley's hand, which was red with blood.

"You're hurt." Axel said quietly.

"What?" Hartley looked at his hand and frowned. "Axel, this isn't my blood."

"Huh?" Axel brought his own hand to his head and once again felt something warm and wet. Oh, that was blood. So Axel was the one who was bleeding. How strange, he hadn't even noticed. "How did that happen?"

"You were still holding the knife when you tried to cover your ears." Wally reminded him. Axel frowned. Right, that had happened. Huh. He hadn't even noticed. How does someone not even notice that they've practically cut their head open? Although, now that Axel knew about the cut it was starting to actually hurt. A lot.

Ow.

"Hang on." Hartley muttered. He dragged Axel to the table, literally pushing Iris and Barry out of the way, and pushed him into a chair. Hartley glared at everybody else, who were seriously just standing around and watching them. "You know, somebody could be useful and get a first aid kid."

"Uh, right." Iris was the one who went to go get it. Darn, that meant that Barry was still in here, watching Axel like he was some sort of freak.

While they waited for Iris to get back Hartley slipped his shirt off and gently pressed it to Axel's head to try to staunch the bleeding. Axel felt his face go flush and he moved his gaze to the floor and away from Hartley's bare chest. "So, you wanna tell me why you were trying to cover your ears in the first place?" Hartley asked. Axel stiffened at the question. No, he didn't want to tell Hartley about it.

"I think he was hearing something." Barry said suddenly. Axel glared at him, because seriously Barry had no right to be saying that. "He kept on saying 'shut up' and 'stop it', but nobody was saying or doing anything."

Hartley's eyes were filled with concern...again. "Axel, is this true?"

"I'm not crazy." Axel muttered. He kept his eyes glued to the floor, as if he suddenly found the bloody knife that he must have dropped after cutting himself very interesting.

"I know you're not." Hartley said, and Axel really wanted to believe him, he just didn't know if he did or not. "But has something like this ever happened before."

"You mean hearing a voice in my head and hurting myself without even realizing it?" Axel scoffed darkly. "This would be a first." Axel may have dealt with a bunch of things that maybe weren't exactly 'normal', but this was a whole new level of weird for him.

"It's okay, Axel, we'll get this taken care of." If that phrase had come from anybody else Axel would be feeling very freaked out, but strangely he didn't. He trusted Hartley, and if he said things were going to be fine, than Axel believed him.


	12. Chapter 12

Hartley was a scientist, and that particular field of work required a lot of patience, something which he liked to think that he had a lot of. Hartley didn't mind waiting a few hours, days, weeks, or even months for the result of an experiment to come through. He actually loved spending weeks at a time working on the same part of a single project, because pretty soon that project became very familiar, and Hartley worked best with familiarity. Besides, in his own experience it was usually the longer studies that rewarded the most.

After all, good things come to those who wait.

The thing was, Hartley did  _not_ believe the same way when he was dealing with humans rather than his non-sentient projects. Even  _rats_  seemed to be more predictable than people were. Hartley absolutely despised the fact that he had to rely on people to help him out with problems that he couldn't solve for himself.

He hated not being able to see exactly how much progress was being made, and even more than that he hated not knowing whether anybody was going to screw something up, leaving them all at a worse position than they had been in before. The more time that passed, the more anxious Hartley would become about something growing wrong.

As far as people went, Hartley hated playing the waiting game. Especially when it seemed like the rules of the game were being made up by people who weren't even interested in playing it in the first place.

Hartley was beyond relieved and extremely pissed off when Joe finally called him back, a week after they first talked about getting Axel help. Hartley knew that Joe calling meant that he had something set up, he had just taken his own sweet time doing it.

"You had better have something." Hartley said as a greeting when he answered the fun. He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Axel wasn't listening in.

"We have  _got_ to work on your greeting skills." Joe responded, which Hartley rolled his eyes at. "But yes, we've got permission for this." Hartley still found it completely ridiculous that they needed permission at all. "When would be a good time to do this?"

"As soon as possible." Hartley answered. Axel may have been starting to get back to his normal, excitable self, but Hartley didn't want to chance it.

"I thought you might say that." Joe said, which caused Hartley to scowl. If he had already known what he was going to say, why had he bothered asking? "That psychiatrist you recommended, Dr. Jones, said he would be available today."

Hartley breathed a sigh of relief. He had been hoping that Dr. Jones would agree to do this. He had been Hartley's psychiatrist when he had been a kid, and they had even spoken a few times since (Hartley had been going through some extremely hard times after his parent's had all but disowned him and the fake Harrison Wells had betrayed him). Hartley had believed that Dr. Jones would agree to help Axel, it was just nice to know that his theory had been right.

"That sounds doable." Hartley said.

"There's a catch though." Joe said, which got Hartley tensing up. "This has to happen at the police station," Hartley barely made a sound of protest before Joe was continuing. "And a cop has to sit in on the session."

"What?!" Out of the corner of his eye Hartley saw Axel look up from what he was doing and glance in his direction. He turned away from Axel and hissed in a lower voice "That's not even legal." What about doctor patient confidentiality?

"Look, it's the best we can do." Joe didn't sound too pleased with the situation either. At least he realized just how messed up the system was right now. After what had happened with ames Jesse and his psychiatrist the state didn't want to risk a repeat performance, so Axel was court ordered forbidden from getting psychiatric help. Hartley didn't even know that something like that was even a thing.

"...Fine" Hartley groaned in frustration, because really, what choice did he have? "I'll see you at the station." Without saying a formal goodbye Hartley hung up the phone and, just for good measure, threw it harshly onto the couch.

"Are you trying to murder your phone again?" Axel asked.

"Not this time." Hartley glared at where his phone lay. At least he remembered to throw it onto a soft surface this time. He really wasn't in the mood for buying a replacement. Again. "It get's off with a threat this time."

"You're too easy on it." Axel said mock seriously. "You've gotta show that phone who's boss."

"Yes, I guess I am." Hartley ran a hand through his hair. Axel's playful expression dimmed slightly.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I'll tell you later." Hartley promised. "In the meantime, get your shoes on, we've got somewhere to be."

Axel practically bounced to his feet and went to go find a matching pair of shoes that he somehow kept on misplacing. It just went to show how much his mood had improved in the last week. Axel didn't moan and complain about having to go somewhere. He didn't drag his feet or cling desperately to Hartley. He actually looked eager to leave the house, even if he had no idea where they were going.

It seemed more like the regular, old Axel, and Hartley had never been so happy to see his friend in such a content mood. Even  _if_ Axel was wearing Hartley's shoes instead of his own. Honestly, now Hartley knew that Axel was doing this on purpose. It was his way of getting back at Hartley for not letting him wear his hoodies anymore (Axel's tight leather jackets suited him much better than Hartley's loose hoodies did).

' _Actually,'_  Hartley thought as he got a good look at Axel. ' _Maybe I should let him wear my shoes more often.'_ Hartley's black boots really went with his tight blue jeans and studded leather jacket. Axel wasn't going for  _just_ a punk look though. Underneath his jacket he was wearing a orange and blue striped shirt and had matching fingerless gloves.

Basically, Axel was mashing together his two completely different styles, punk, and five year old who decided to dress himself. Hartley had thought multiple times that neither style exactly worked, or should be considered a style at all, but somehow seeing them combined was...different. But it was a good kind of different.

"Well, at least you don't look like an emo circus threw up on you." Hartley said. Axel took the cushion off the couch and threw it at him. Hartley flinched instinctively when the cushion made contact, which just made Axel giggle. Hartley scowled. It wasn't his fault that he didn't like being hit by things, even if they were extremely soft.

"Come on," Hartley grumbled as he headed to the front door with Axel right behind him.

"So, where are we going?" Axel asked as they walked. Hartley didn't exactly have a car, and he didn't live too far from their destination, so he didn't think it would be too much of a hassle to walk.

Hartley thought carefully before answering. "We're going to the police station." He answered honestly. Axel faltered in his steps slightly.

"Why?" Axel asked cautiously.

"There's somebody there that you need to talk to." Hartley answered. "I promise though, you're not in trouble."

"I'm not?" Axel sounded so surprised, as though there had never been a time in his life that he  _hadn't_ been in trouble.

"Not at all." Hartley assured him. "Trust me, I don't want to go the the police station any more than you do, but it's what we have to do right now, alright?"

"...Fine." Axel grumbled. He shoved his hands in his pockets and pouted, but at least he wasn't trying to run off like Hartley had half expected him to.

The walk to the police station took longer than it should have, though Hartley had half expected that. Axel may be willing to come here, but he was definitely going to procrastinate it for as long as he could. As they walked up the steps in front of the building Axel grabbed Hartley's hand and just held tightly to it. Hartley raised and eyebrow, but he didn't question or resist it. He was willing to let Axel hold his hand.

The second they entered the building Axel stiffened up and seemed to freeze. Hartley gave his hand what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze and almost literally dragged him further. Hartley knew that Axel was feeling on edge, and believe that maybe a familiar face would help him to calm down. Axel knew Joe, even if they didn't exactly like each other, and Joe worked upstairs, so that was where Hartley was headed.

When they got upstairs Axel freezed up again. He actually went so far as to pull Hartley back slightly. Not that he could blame him. There were a number of cops up here, and a good number of them seemed to be looking at the two of them with suspicion. From what Hartley could tell, it actually looked as though a couple of these guys recognized Axel, and they weren't happy about it.

Fortunately, there was somebody there that  _Hartley_ recognized.

"Wally, what are you doing here?" Hartley dragged Axel closer to their friend.

Wally shrugged. "Hanging out, I guess." He looked at Axel, who was glancing around nervously. "How's the head?"

"Huh?" Axel turned to face Wally. "Oh, it's better now. It was just a flesh wound." Hartley rolled his eyes. Axel's cut had been a little more than a flesh wound, it had been a major pain in the butt to get it to stop bleeding, but it was actually doing better now.

"Wally, I need to go find your dad." Hartley said. "Can you stay with Axel?"

"Yeah, I can do that." Wally agreed. "I think my dad's talking to Captain Singh." He nodded in the general direction of the Captain's office. Hartley pried his hand out of Axel's strong grip and gently pushed him in Wally's direction.

"I'll be right back." Hartley promised. He made his way to the office and wondered why the name Singh sounded so familiar to him. As Hartley approached the office he could see Joe talking to who he assumed to be Captain Singh. He couldn't hear what they were saying exactly, but by looking at them Hartley believed that they were almost done with their conversation anyways. Good, that meant that Hartley wouldn't be interrupting a whole lot when he marched in there to ask Joe exactly why it took him so long to get help for Axel.

Any accusing questions that Hartley had thought of vanished the second he got a good look at the captain. With a jolt he realized that he  _knew_ that man, and he knew him quite well. But what was he doing here?

"David Singh." Hartley said aloud with a slight smirk. The man turned and looked at him with surprise, but not as though it was an unpleasant surprise. "I should have known you would become a police captain.

"Hartley." David smiled slightly, "It's been too long."

Joe looked from one man to the other, a look of confusion on his face. "You two know each other?"

"We're old friends." David informed him, which Hartley was glad for. He had half expected David to pretend that they barely knew each other at all. Hartley wasn't the least bit shocked though that David didn't even hint at the two of them having been a little  _more_ than just 'old friends'.

Hartley opened his mouth to say something, though he wasn't entirely sure what, when the three of them heard some sort of commotion from the main area...where Axel was. Hartley swore under his breath. He had only been gone for a minute! How could Axel had already gotten himself into trouble?

Joe sighed. "I'll go check it out." He volunteered, which Hartley was grateful for. It would give him a chance to properly talk to his 'old friend'.

"So, Hartley, what are you doing here?" David asked once David was out of earshot.

"I'm here with a friend of mine, Axel Walker." Hartley said. Recognition flashed in David's eyes.

"Oh, so  _you're_ the one who has befriended The Trickster." David sounded impressed, but not surprised. Hartley shrugged.

"He's the one who started it." Hartley said.

"Just be careful." David warned. "It's hard to be in a relationship with somebody that's so unstable."

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Hartley said bitterly.

David frowned. "You know I didn't mean it that way."

"I think we both know that you did." Hartley crossed his arms.

"No, I didn't." David insisted. "That's not the reason why we never worked out."

"I know." Hartley sighed. He knew just as well as David did that that wasn't the reason they had broken up. The reason was because David had been concerned that it would affect his career as a cop if it was known that he was gay. Hartley was proud of who he was, and he had refused to be in a secret relationship. "And for your information, me and Axel are  _not_ in a relationship."

"But you want to be." David said matter-of-factly. "I know how to read that look in your eyes better than anybody." Of course David would recognize this look. He had probably seen a lot of it when they had been dating and he had refused, much to Hartley's disappointment, to make it public.

"It doesn't matter." Hartley said coldly. "Axel's not interested."

"Give him time." David said in a tone that was surprisingly gentle for him. "He may come around eventually."

"I highly doubt that." Hartley remarked. David didn't know Axel like he did. Hartley was just about to tell him so, as well as remind him that he had long since given up any right to be invested in Hartley's love life when he heard a loud and sharp cry of panic from the main area. Hartley's head snapped in that direction. He recognized that as Axel's voice.

He shouldn't have left him in there.

"Dammit." Hartley threw open the office door and left the room just soon enough to see Axel try to run off. Without thinking Hartley moved forward and grabbed Axel's upper arm, stopping him from going anywhere. He was just about to ask Axel exactly what he was thinking when he looked at his friend's wrists and saw too-tight handcuffs.

"What's the meaning of this?" Hartley glared darkly at the officers in the room. Axel was not here because he was getting arrested, so there was absolutely no reason for the handcuffs.

Joe, being the only officer there who apparently had any balls, stepped forward. "It's just a precaution, Hartley. We can't have him getting his hands on things that are supposed to be left alone."

"Like what?" Hartley all but spat. He didn't think there was anything in this room that Axel would be interested in taking, and even if there was were the handcuffs really necessary? He could obviously still grab something with his hands like that. The only thing the cuffs seemed to be doing was freaking out Axel. Hartley thought he could feel him shaking.

"Like a gun." Wally spoke up. Hartley raised an eyebrow. That was an oddly specific example. "Axel found a gun lying around on a desk. He picked it up and asked who it belonged to, and everybody here just freaked out."

Hartley could have killed every one of these paranoid idiots. They were all overreacting. If they really didn't want Axel to get his hands on something dangerous like that, then why did somebody just leave  _a gun lying around for anybody to take?_

Hartley was just about to express his displeasure when he felt Axel's arm move slightly, as though he was adjusting his hands. Hartley took another look at Axel's cuffed wrists and frowned when he saw that his friend was trying to no avail to get the cuffs off. His struggling, of course, did nothing to loosen the cuffs, but Hartley knew that if he kept this up he was just going to get himself hurt.

"Who has the damn keys?" Hartley growled. Once again, he got no answer. He was just about to completely lose it when he heard David come up behind him.

"Whose gun was it?" Hartley was impressed by David's tone of voice. He certainly  _sounded_ like a police captain right now. Hartley had never actually heard David speak with this level of authority. It was...kinda sexy, actually.

There was silence for a tense moment, but then one of the officers, who looked absolutely furious, stepped forward. David, with all the authority that a captain should have, stepped closer and looked his officer sternly in the eyes.

"Your keys, officer." David held out his hand expectedly and the officer had no choice but to hand over the key to the handcuffs that he had put on Axel. David took the key and handed it to Hartley, who immediately used it to free Axel's wrists. With the cuffs off Axel immediately relaxed. He gently rubbed at his wrist, which Hartley was not happy to see was red and sore looking from the tightness of the cuffs and Axel's struggling.

Axel and Hartley both glared at the officer who had done this, but the man didn't even notice. He was too busy being stared down by his captain. Hartley would have loved to stay and watch this man get chewed out by his old friend, but Axel had already started to drag him away. Clearly, he wasn't comfortable being around so many cops, and Hartley couldn't bring himself to force him to stay.

Hartley insisted that they didn't go far though, which Axel wasn't happy about. "Why can't we just go home?" Axel asked.

"We're here for a reason." Hartley reminded him. "We can go home when you're done."

"Done with what?" Axel asked. "What am I doing?"

Hartley hesitated. He knew that Axel would not react well to receiving psychiatric help, which is why he hadn't told him yet. Hartley hadn't wanted his friend to get upset about being 'crazy' again. But Hartley couldn't put this off for any longer. Axel deserved to know what he was doing here.

"You're here to talk to an old friend of mine, Dr. Jones." Hartley said.

Axel frowned. "I'm guessing he's not a medical doctor."

"He's a psychiatrist." Hartley said. "He's here to help you."

"I don't  _need_  help!" Axel snapped. "I'm not crazy." Axel made to walk away, but Hartley stopped him.

"Just because somebody talks to a psychiatrist does not mean that they're crazy." Hartley said firmly. "You don't think I'm crazy, do you?"

"What?" Axel frowned, looking completely lost. Hartley sighed.

"Dr. Jones was  _my_ psychiatrist." Hartley said. "He helped me when I was a kid, as well as when I got depressed after my parents kicked me out and I got fired from my job."

"How did he help you?" Axel asked unsurely.

"He just talked with me, and helped me to figure out how I can help myself." Hartley said calmly. "Believe it or not, Axel,  _lots_ of people talk to psychiatrists and therapists, even 'normal' people do."

"So...it doesn't mean I'm crazy?" Axel asked quietly.

"Absolutely not." Hartley said. "It's means you're struggling and don't know how to handle things on your own, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Really?" Axel sounded so hesitant and unsure that Hartley felt his chest clench uncomfortably. He was  _not_ happy with whatever foster parents had made Axel feel like he was insane. He also felt unexpectedly angry with the first trickster, who really was clinically insane and had been trying to lead Axel down that same path.

"Really." Hartley assured him, and somehow, that was enough for Axel. For somebody who seemed to have trust issues, Axel certainly seemed to trust people a lot. Maybe that was  _why_ he seemed so hesitant to trust people, because he already trusted so easily and had had that trust betrayed before.

Hartley and Axel waited around for a bit, sharing casual conversations as they did, until finally Hartley saw Dr. Jones arrive. He gently tugged at Axel's arm, guiding him.

"Come on." Hartley lead Axel to where Joe and Dr. Jones were talking. Short introductions were made and then it was time to get started. Joe, who would be the officer sitting in on the session, lead Axel and Dr. Jones to an interrogation room, where this first session would be happening. Hartley still wasn't happy that they were doing things this way, but he had been assured that it would just be for the first couple of sessions.

Just before he walked out of sight Axel glanced uncertainly back at Hartley, who nodded and gave a small smile. Axel returned the gesture and followed Joe out of the room.

Now, all Hartley could do was wait. He absolutely hated it, but there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to be here for Axel when they were done...and who knows when that would be?

"Your friend will be fine, Hartley." He jumped slightly when he heard David's voice. He hadn't even noticed the man approach. "He's lucky to have a friend like you."

Hartley looked in the direction where Axel had gone. "Actually, I think I'm the lucky one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter seems kinda 'meh', but I'm probably just saying that because I'm seriously making up some rules of this world as I go. Hey, it's fanfiction, I think we can stand for some things being unrealistic. Anyways, the whole thing between David and Hartley was actually not something that I had planned. I was looking up information about a different character that I'm going to include in a few chapters and I just stumbled upon some information from the comics that says that apparently David Singh and Hartley Rathaway had been dating. I mean, how can I not at least reference that?


	13. Chapter 13

"Can I just say that I believe this is a stupid idea?" Hartley grumbled irritably as they were lead down the halls underneath Iron Heights Prison. Their group consisted of him, Axel, who had been clinging to his arm and trying to put on a brave face since the moment they had entered the building, Barry, Joe, Dr. Jones, and the two guards that were leading them. The prison guards looked like this was the last thing they wanted to be doing, and Hartley couldn't blame them because he felt pretty much the same way.

"You're not the only one." Barry added. "Seriously, this guy gives me the creeps."

"He has that effect on people." Axel muttered. They were the first words he had uttered since they had arrived at the prison.

"But, not you." Hartley raised an eyebrow. Axel frowned.

"Yeah, not me." He confirmed before clamming up again.

"If you don't want to be here, Hartley, no one will blame you for leaving." Dr. Jones reminded him. Hartley furrowed his brow and glanced at Axel, who looked nervous, but absolutely determined. He wasn't going to leave until he had done what he had come here to do, and Hartley wasn't going to let him do it on his own.

"I'm staying." Hartley said without hesitation. He wanted to be there to support Axel...and to see for himself just what kind of man his friend had been dealing with for all this time. Hartley followed along with the others until the guards stopped in front of a door. Hartley looked around with a critical eye. It didn't  _look_  like the location of a cell, no matter how solitary, the whole hallway actually looked more like the plumbing systems for the prison.

"Are all of you going in at once?" One of the guards asked.

"Yes." Joe answered for all of them. "We just have some questions for him.

The guard who had spoken eyed them cautiously for a moment before sighing. "If you're hoping to get any answers out of him, you'll need this." He reached into his pocket and brought out a bag of...licorice? Hartley didn't understand it, but apparently Barry did, as he took the candy without hesitation, shared a look with Joe, and lead the way into the room, which the guards had opened.

Hartley took a deep breath and held his head high, encouraging Axel to do the same, before entering into the room with Dr. Jones right behind them. The room was extremely bare, with just three chairs in it, with one of those chairs sitting behind a glass wall. Sitting upon the chair behind the glass was a man, and even though Hartley had never seen him before in his life he knew  _exactly_ who he was.

James Jesse, the first Trickster.

Barry and Joe approached the glass while Hartley stayed behind with Axel clinging so tightly to his arm that he could feel his circulation beginning to be cut off. Hartley just naturally kept Axel behind him, although it would do little good to shield him from getting noticed if James Jesse looked their way. Fortunately, the man only seemed to have his eyes on Barry and Joe.

"Gentlemen, it's good to see you." James Jesse said, which caused Hartley to frown. The man sounded so calm. Not exactly how he had envisioned the infamous Trickster. "It's been awhile since I've had visitors. Are you here for another game of twenty questions?" Hartley shuddered slightly at the sound of his voice. There was just something about the way that he spoke that made it sound like he was the one holding all the cards. Hartley recognized the tone, because it was one that he used often whenever he wanted to mess with Cisco, which was almost every day.

"No interrogation this time." Joe said. "We just need a sample of your blood."

"Oh, is that all?" James Jesse grinned wickedly. "Well, you know the rules, you can't just get something for nothing." He eyed Barry's pocket pointedly. Barry, who had probably done all of this before, quickly took the bag of licorice out of his pocket and put it, and something that he wanted Jesse to put his blood on, in a mailslot looking thing that opened up into the cell behind the glass.

James Jesse got to his feet and pulled the candy out of the slot thing from his side. He grabbed one of them and sniffed it, he seriously held the whole thing under his nose and actually took a huge whiff of it. James eyed the others for a brief second before glaring harshly at them.

"You didn't pay up fully." Jesse said darkly, and Hartley could actually see the psychotic look in his eyes. Seriously, he was getting this worked up over some missing licorice? Hartley felt Axel stiffen next to him.

"Heh, oops?" Axel said sheepishly, though it sounded like there was something in his mouth. Hartley sighed in exasperation and looked at his friend who did, actually, have a piece of licorice dangling out of his mouth. How had he even gotten his hands on it in the first place?

"Axel?" Hartley felt his friend freeze up when James Jesse said his name. Axel drew back till he was practically hiding behind Hartley. Even though this was exactly what Hartley had been trying to get him to do just moments before, he pulled Axel out from behind him. He had come too far to hide from his problems now.

"You can do this, Axel." Hartley hissed into his friend's ear. "Just don't let him get to you."

"I-I'll try." Axel said weakly.

"It's not too late you know." Hartley reminded him. "We can still leave." He would actually prefer it if they left. Axel shouldn't have to deal with this shit. The only reason they were here in the first place was because Dr. Jones felt it would be good for Axel to confront his demons, or, in other words, his 'father'. They still weren't positive that James Jesse and Axel were actually related, which was why Barry was here. He was going to take a blood sample from James and do a DNA test.

Honestly, Hartley didn't think that  _that_ was a very good idea either. Whatever the truth was, Axel would be hurt by it. Maybe this was an example of a time when it is best for the truth to just remain unknown. At least, that was what Hartley believed.

But it didn't really matter what Hartley believed, because they weren't there for him, they were there for Axel. If Dr. Jones thought that this would be beneficial for Axel, give him some sense of closure, then maybe it really  _was_ a good idea.

That didn't mean that Hartley had to like it though.

"I'm okay." Axel said, though he didn't move from where he was. Hartley shook his head. It certainly sounded like Axel wanted to do this (though he couldn't fathom  _why_.) but he just needed a little help to do it. Hartley took the first step forward, with Axel following just behind him.

"So, uh." Axel shuffled his feet nervously. He took the piece of licorice out of his mouth." Did you want this?" Well, Axel certainly knew how to break the ice. James chuckled and returned to his chair.

"Nah, kid, keep it." James said. "A piece of licorice is a small price to pay if it'll get you to talk to me again. I haven't heard from you in awhile."

"Yeah, that's because I've been ignoring your letters." Axel said matter of factly. Hartley tensed, and he could see Joe and Barry do the same. None of them knew James Jesse as well as Axel apparently did, but none of them thought it was a very good idea to speak so bluntly to him. James did not seem like the type of person that one would want to offend. They all relaxed when James laughed instead getting angry.

"Come on, kid, that's not very nice." James said. Axel frowned.

"Nice?" Hartley flinched at Axel's dark tone. He  _hated_ it when Axel got pissed off. "You wouldn't know the first thing about being nice if it bit you in the butt."

"That doesn't even make any sense." Hartley said. "And what did I say about not letting him get to you?"

"Sorry." Axel muttered. "I just…"

"Hey, glasses," James cut in, and now  _he_  sounded kind of pissed off. Hartley marveled at just how quickly James and Axel seemed to switch moods. Maybe they really  _were_ related. "We're having a private conversation here. Stay out of it."

"He's not staying out of anything." Axel spat. "He's here because I want him to be."

Hartley smirked at James, who glowered at him. It filled Hartley with unexplainable pleasure that his friend didn't want to talk to James without him there. Both he and James knew that Axel's decision meant that he trusted Hartley more than he did the man who had groomed him to be a sociopath since the age of fifteen.

Call Hartley petty, but he was extremely pleased with himself because of it.

"Fine." Jesse sighed. "Your friend can stay." He eyes Joe and Barry with an annoyed glance. "I suppose it would be too much to ask that the cops leave, but what about  _him?_ " Hartley followed James' gaze and was almost surprised to see Dr. Jones waiting patiently in the corner. He had forgotten that the man was even there.

"My name is Dr. Jones." The man stepped forward, completely unafraid. "I am Axel's psychiatrist."

James Jesse frowned in disgust. "A psychiatrist?" He turned his sharp gaze to Axel, who shrank slightly under it. "You're seeing a psychiatrist?"

Axel fidgeted uncomfortably. "He's helping me."

"Helping you?" James scoffed darkly. "He's trying to convince you that you're crazy."

"Maybe I am crazy." Axel's eyes were sad, but also angry. "After all, I listened to him when he said that I should talk to  _you._ "

"Axel, just say what you came here to say so we can get out of here." Hartley said. He didn't like how Axel was when he was around James Jesse. The sooner they could leave, the better off they would all be.

Axel frowned and just looked at James Jesse for a few minutes. Nobody said anything, the two men just stared at each other, as though they were having a completely silent conversation. After a while Hartley got tired of the silence and was about to push Axel into saying something, anything, when his friend opened his mouth and spoke up on his own.

"Why did you leave me?" Axel asked.

"Which time are you talking about?" James asked, which caused Hartley to scowl. If the man had to ask that, then the two of them really had a serious problem.

"That Christmas." Axel frowned. "That Weather Wizard guy broke you and some ice guy out, and you just...you just left me here."

"What did you expect me to do?" James rolled his eyes. "The meta was giving me a chance at freedom and revenge, so I took it, that's not a crime."

"Actually, it kinda is." Barry muttered, but he was ignored.

"You cared more about killing the Flash than me!" Axel all but shouted. "You left me behind. I thought...I thought." Axel trailed off and Hartley took it upon himself to continue for him.

"He thought you cared about him, but obviously you didn't." Hartley said coldly.

"Nobody asked you." James glared at him harshly, and Hartley returned the glare just as easily.

"He's right." Axel whispered, his voice barely audible. "You  _don't_ care about me." Axel looked down at the floor and clenched at Hartley's arm even tighter. "Nobody told you about what happened after I found out that you had left, did they?" It was a rhetorical question. By the sound of things, Axel knew that they hadn't.

James and Hartley both frowned at his words, neither of them had a good feeling about what had happened. "What did you do?" James' voice was stiff. Hartley would have asked the same question if it weren't for the fact that he was pretty sure of the answer.

Axel bit his lip slightly and glanced at Dr. Jones, who nodded encouragingly at him. Axel took in a shuddering breath. "I-I tried to hang myself with my sheets."

Hartley sighed he had guessed as much was true. He wondered if there had been other times when Axel had tried to kill himself, and if there were more, would he be as lucky as he had been in his past attempts when they had failed?

James didn't seem to be taking the news well. "Why the hell would you do something like that?!"

Axel's eyes flickered briefly with anger. "For ten years I thought that you were the one person in this world who actually gave a damn about me, only to learn that that was all a lie." Axel's tone dropped down to little more than a whisper. "You left me behind. Why wouldn't I want to kill myself?"

"Alright, I think that's enough." Hartley said. He thought it would be best for them to stop while they were ahead...alright, they weren't ahead of anything, but at least they could stop before they got any further behind than they already were. Hartley took a step back towards the door, dragging Axel right behind him.

"Wait, you're just leaving?" James Jesse sounded shocked and somewhat desperate. "You just got here."

"And now we're leaving." Hartley tugged Axel slightly to get him moving, because his friend had paused and looked towards James as if he didn't know what to do. Axel was feeling conflicted, which was why Hartley was taking the initiative.  _He_ knew that this short visit had really gotten to Axel, and Hartley wasn't so sure that Axel could emotionally handle staying for much longer.

"You'll come back though, right?" James asked desperately. He sounded more like a lonely kid who was scared of being abandoned than a sociopathic man. "You can't just leave and not come back!"

' _Why not?'_  Hartley thought to himself bitterly. ' _We all know that you would do just that in a heartbeat.'_  Axel didn't quite agree with Hartley on that matter. He stared at James Jesse and sighed.

"I'll think about it." Axel said quietly, which Hartley translated to mean a reluctant 'yes'. James Jesse seemed to get the same message, because he calmed down drastically. Still, Hartley didn't hesitate to drag Axel out of the room before James could say another word to him. Once they were back in the hallway Axel leaned against the wall and sank down to the floor. Hartley only paused for a second before joining him.

"How're you feeling?" Hartley asked awkwardly, because it really wasn't his type of question to ask, but he had to know.

Axel leaned his head against the wall. "Like I do after a bad session with Dr. Jones." So, emotionally exhausted then. Hartley was familiar with the feeling. He used to feel the same way after  _his_ sessions, and also after a bad dinner meet up with his parents.

"You don't have to come back here, you know." Hartley reminded him. Axel shook his head.

"I know, I just...I don't want to leave him." Axel said weakly.

Hartley frowned. "You know, you  _just barely_ left him." Sure, Axel would probably be coming back, but he still left. Not that Hartley thought that that was a bad thing, because he didn't.

Axel let out a noise that was a cross between a sob and a laugh. "I know." His voice sounded strained. "And I liked it." Axel was straight up laughing and crying at the same time, it was kinda weird. "I left him, and I liked it. What does that say about me?"

Hartley put an arm around Axel's shoulder and pulled him closer. It was an awkward position for both of them, but Hartley needed to do  _something_ before Axel became hysterical and accidentally hurt himself.

"It means that you're human." Hartley said. Humans were not perfect beings. They made mistakes, and they took pleasure in other people's pain, especially if they felt that it was justified.

Hartley sat with Axel for a few minutes until Joe and Barry came out of the room. They had finally gotten that damn blood sample. Now all they needed was for Barry to use his forensic knowledge and technology to see whether James Jesse was a liar or not.

Hartley didn't know about Axel, but he certainly wasn't in any hurry to get the answer.

"Come on." Hartley stood up and dragged Axel to his feet. "Let's get out of here."

"Okay." Axel agreed. A moment later her spoke up again. "Can we go get ice cream?"

Hartley smiled slightly. "Yeah, I don't see why not." It looked like the two of them shared the same cure for emotional exhaustion. Hartley probably shouldn't be so surprised by it. After all, in his experience ice cream was an excellent 'cure' for many emotional ailments.

If only it helped with the mental ones as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This show's James Jesse is difficult to write. I probably incorporated some stuff from the comics/every other portrayal of him ever, but I couldn't help it. I don't know why this show seems to think that James Jesse is practically the Joker, because he's not, he's the Trickster. They're two completely different people, and since Trickster is one of my favorite Flash villains I was quite disappointed that they showed him as being more Joker like. Am I the only one?


	14. Chapter 14

Hartley took in a deep breath and scrutinized his reflection in the mirror. He was looking for any obvious, or even not so obvious, flaw. A wrinkle in his jacket, a speck of dirt on his glasses, or a strand of hair that was out of place. Anything that might set his parents off and ruin the entire evening.

The second Hartley realized what he was doing he scowled and forced himself away from the mirror. He was already feeling extremely nervous because he had dinner plans with his parents and he  _really_ didn't need to be looking for ways to intensify his anxieties. Hartley told himself that he had nothing to worry about. It wasn't as though this was the first time he had ever had dinner with his parents. He had made up with them months ago, there was no reason he should be feeling nervous about this.

But he was.

Hartley couldn't help it. Whenever Hartley had a decent night out with his parents his brain had to ruin it by bringing to the forefront of his mind the memory of the night that his parents had kicked him out. It had been awhile since it had happened and Hartley liked to think that he was over it, but he wasn't. Whenever he saw them Hartley couldn't help but think that if they had cut him off before, what was to stop them from just doing it again?

Hartley felt like he was walking on eggshells whenever he was around his parents, and he thought that they felt the same way. Whenever the three of them met up they were all civil towards each other, but it was so unnatural and forced that it almost felt awkward. No dinner had been more awkward than the first though, and they were slowly but surely getting better, but Hartley still had a sense of dread whenever he was getting ready for these things.

A shrill ringing sound caused Hartley to jump, and then scowl at his ridiculous. Was he honestly so scared of his parents that he was jumping at the sound of his phone ringing? Talk about pathetic. Hartley sighed in frustration and took his cellphone out of his pocket. He frowned when he saw the number ID. He answered it.

"Axel, you know we're not supposed to talk today." Hartley said. It wasn't that he didn't  _want_ to talk to Axel, because he almost always did. The thing was, it was a Thursday, which was their designated day to be away from each other. Dr. Jones had highly suggested them do it a week ago. He believed that they relied on each other too much, and that both of them would benefit from growing as individuals.

There was silence on the other end for a moment, which was concerned Hartley. "Axel?" Was he still there? Hartley believed that he was because he thought he could hear quiet breathing that almost sounded like sobs. "Axel!"

"...Hart?" His voice was quiet, and it definitely sounded like Axel had been crying. Hartley froze and clutched at his phone tightly. Something had definitely happened. "Hart, can I...can I come over?"

Hartley hesitated just slightly. He knew that Dr. Jones had wanted them to have their space from each other, but he couldn't just refuse Axel's request. Not when he sounded so desperate. Besides, Dr. Jones had made it clear that they weren't in any way required to do this. If either of them felt the need to have the other's support, then they should have it.

"Well, I'm actually going out to have dinner with my parents." Hartley said. "But you can come if you want."

"...Really?" Axel asked. "You sure I won't be interrupting something?"

"Trust me, things will be much more awkward without you there." Hartley said. He knew his parents probably wouldn't be happy with Axel's presence, but Hartley would likely be much calmer with his friend right there. They could support each other tonight. "Come on over."

"Uh, about that." Axel chuckled somewhat sheepishly. A second later there was a knock on the door. Hartley sighed and, phone still in hand he opened to door to find Axel waiting for him.

"You were already here when you called to see if it was okay?" Hartley hung up his phone and raised an eyebrow. Axel grinned nervously.

"Yeah, I just…" Axel shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Alright, what happened?" Hartley asked, because Axel looked about as upset as he had sounded over the phone.

"I, uh…" Axel rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground. "Barry called me today...about James."

"Oh." That explained things. Hartley opened his door wider and and gestured for Axel to come inside. Hartley didn't ask about what the results had been. He wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to know, and he knew that it didn't really matter to him. All that mattered was that Axel was upset.

"Come on." Hartley led Axel back to his bedroom. "We have some time before we have to meet my parents. We need to find you something to wear."

"What?" Axel frowned and looked down at the blue leather jacket that he was wearing. Hartley didn't even know where he had found the thing. "What's wrong with what I have."

"Nothing." Hartley said, because he honestly didn't have a problem with it. "My parents though, they're, well, they care a lot about image."

Axel frowned. "So much that they disown you because you're gay." Hartley flinched slightly at the reminder.

"Yes." Axel rolled his eyes at his answer. Hartley grew concerned. Axel seemed to be just as irritated as he was upset. That wasn't a good sign. Axel wasn't the type of person to hide his irritation or anger. If something was bothering him, he let you know about it. Hartley could be really harsh and blunt as well, so he didn't mind it so much. His parents on the other hand…

"Just try not to make a scene tonight, okay?" Hartley asked. Axel scowled, but he nodded. That was as good an answer as Hartley knew he was going to get. Hartley turned towards his closet and began looking for something that would work. He needed something that his parents would approve of, so not too casual, but also something that Axel would feel comfortable in, so not too formal.

"Alright, I think this should work." Hartley said after a minute of searching. He tossed Axel a black button down shirt that had white tribal art style designs on the left sleeve and side. It was a nice looking shirt that wasn't too fancy. Hartley thought Axel would at least be content with the shirt, but instead he just scowled as he looked at it.

"Why do people even like wearing shirts that have so many buttons?" Axel whined. "It takes forever to put on."

"Well, then you'd better get started." Hartley replied. Axel pouted, but he did take off his leather jacket and replaced it with the button down. "You can even leave it open if you want." The black and white shirt he had given to Axel definitely wouldn't contrast with the white shirt that he was already wearing.

"Thank goodness." Axel said. He sat down on Hartley's bed and drew his legs up so he was sitting cross legged "When are we leaving?"

"Soon." Hartley answered. He looked at Axel strangely. "I thought you didn't even want to go."

"I'm bored." Axel shrugged. "Besides, you've met my dad, it's only fair I get to meet yours."

Hartley froze. "So James Jesse's really your father?"

"Yeah." Axel said in a quiet voice. He looked at his lap and fiddled with his hands. "I'm really not sure how I feel about it."

"Yeah, I bet." Hartley frowned. He didn't like seeing Axel looking so down. Hartley approached his friend and held out his and. "Come on, let's get outta here."

"What?" Axel tilted his head. "I thought you said we weren't leaving yet."

Hartley shrugged. "Nothing wrong with being a little early. Axel grinned slightly and took his hand. Even though they were leaving earlier than Hartley had originally intended, he was fairly certain that they wouldn't end up early. Hartley hated taking the bus anywhere, it was stressful and after a couple of traumatic experiences when he was younger and had either missed his stop or gotten on the wrong bus he had no desire to even try. And, for whatever reason, Axel seemed to not trust taxi drivers. He kept on muttering about how he thought they were going to kidnap him or something. So without the option of the bus or a taxi, Hartley knew they would have to walk to the restaurant.

At least it was a good day outside.

Axel took the lead once they were outside, even though Hartley was the one who knew where they were going. Axel seemed more relaxed in the fresh air though. Hartley remembered Axel telling him once that he had always felt stifled and trapped after being inside for too long. He said it messed with his mind. Hartley knew that Axel didn't respond well to feeling trapped or not in control, so even though he was the one who knew the address of the restaurant, Hartley let Axel lead the way as he gave him directions when needed.

Hartley couldn't describe what it felt like to see Axel practically skip down the sidewalks, completely oblivious and uncaring of the strange looks he was getting. It reminded Hartley a lot of those first few weeks when he had known Axel, before he had become all moody and scared. Things had come full cycle. Axel had told him that this was a regular thing, that he would feel one way for a few weeks and then completely flip for awhile. Personally, Hartley definitely prefered the overly hyper Axel.

Besides, seeing Axel care so little about what other people thought of him helped Hartley to relax about meeting up with his parents. It was as though Axel's I-couldn't-care-less attitude was contagious.

It took them awhile to get to the restaurant, but in Hartley's opinion it had been much too short of a trip. He was not looking forward to having dinner with his judgemental parents that didn't know how to show their affection. Still, Hartley held his head high and entered the restaurant, because as awkward as he knew the evening would be it was better than the alternative.

The person who greeted them at the door immediately recognized Hartley. He didn't seem too happy about his guest, but because Hartley was a Rathaway and was currently meeting with his parents, the man said nothing about Axel's wind blown hair and bordering on casual dress. He simply lead them to where Hartley's parents were already waiting.

Hartley's mother, Rachel Rathaway, smiled kindly when she saw him. She had always been the gentler parent, she just worried a lot about how other people saw her and often did things that she would regret because it was what other people wanted. Hartley understood this about her, but he didn't exactly forgive her for it. Not yet.

His father's welcome wasn't as warm as his mother's, but Osgood Rathaway had always had a difficult time conveying his emotions, which was something that Hartley could relate to. Right then though Hartley could read his father's expression perfectly fine. The man was looking from him to Axel with a slightly angry and very judgemental look in his eyes.

"You never said you were going to bring a guest." Osgood said.

"Axel just needed some company tonight." Hartley gestured to his parents and introduced them. "Mom, Dad, this is Axel Walker. Axel, these are my parents, Osgood and Rachel Rathaway."

"It is lovely to meet you, dear." Rachel shook Axel's hand. "Hartley has so few friends."

"What? With his wonderful personality?" Axel joked. Hartley felt like hitting him, but as thought would make a scene he settled for the next best thing. Hartley sat down at the table with his parents and the second that Axel took a seat next to him Hartley kicked him in the shin. Ah, subtlety.

"You are  _just_ friends though, right?" Osgood gave Hartley a warning look.

"Yes, Dad." Hartley said roughly. He wasn't stupid enough to bring a date to meet his parents.

"What else would we be?" Axel asked innocently.

Hartley sighed and lowered his voice. "He's wondering if we're dating."

Axel's eyes widened so much that they almost popped out of his sockets. "Dating? Me and you? That's ridiculous." He started giggling insanely at the idea, which caused Hartley to scowl. He appreciated that his parents, even his father, seemed to see that Axel was sincere in his reaction. But did Axel really have to make the idea of dating him seem insanely impossible?

Hartley had the feeling that he would need a little something to get him through the evening, so when the waiter came to ask if they wanted drinks Hartley ordered some wine same as his parents even though he normally got water. Axel wanted in on the fun and wouldn't take 'no alcohol' for an answer, but because Hartley didn't want to deal with an Axel who was either bouncing off the walls or falling asleep he made him get something with a low alcohol level. And, of course, Axel could only have the one drink. Axel was about to complain about this until he laid eyes on the dessert menu. God, it was like eating out with a child...a child who wanted to get drunk.

Hartley had begun to think that maybe bringing Axel along wasn't such a good idea. His carefree attitude may have worked on the streets, but it wouldn't work as well in one of the most high class restaurants in the city. Fortunately the thought of food distracted Axel from bringing attention to himself, so aside from that rocky start the meal went fairly well. That is, until Hartley's mother got bored and began to turn the conversation to a subject that she brought up  _every damn time they saw each other._

This was Hartley's least favorite part about all of this.

"You know, I saw Janine the other day." Rachel started the same way she always did. Hartley could hardly keep himself from groaning and Osgood's mouth became tight. They both knew where she was going with this, and they were both tired of hearing about it. "Apparently her daughter is expecting."

"Good for her." Hartley muttered under his breath. His father didn't even blink at his rudeness, he just looked annoyed with his wife.

"Really, Rachel, this is not the time." Osgood said firmly.

"It's just such a shame." Rachel sighed, though Hartley thought she was just being overly dramatic.

"What's a shame?" Axel asked. Hartley knew he should feel bad that his friend was still in the dark, but he was just too irritated that he had asked the one question that would egg his mother on.

"That I won't be able to have any grandchildren." Rachel said, as though it was supposed to be obvious.

Axel frowned and looked at Hartley. "Well, why not?" Hartley and his parents looked at Axel as though he was crazy, or just really stupid that day.

"Axel, I'm gay." Hartley reminded him in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, I know that." Axel rolled his eyes.

"You know that two guys can't have a kid together." Hartley said slowly.

"Well, duh, of course I know that two guys can't  _make_ a kid, but they can adopt, can't they?" Axel pointed out. Hartley frowned slightly because Axel kinda had a point there. If he ever was interested in having kids (and he had no idea if that would ever happen) he very well could have them.

"It's just not the same." Rachel said. Axel's eyes darkened suddenly and Hartley got a bad feeling.

"Why not?" Axel asked tensely. "What's so important about being related by blood?" His tone was dark, warning her to think before she said any more.

"I meant no offense, dear." Rachel said hastily, and she sounded sincere enough. "I simply meant that children tend to do better when raised by their biological parents. There are many stories out there about adopted or foster children who have, well,  _issues_ , at a later age."

"Mom." Hartley growled in a low, warning tone, but it was too late. The damage had been done. Axel's eyes widened, but then he narrowed his gaze and glared at Rachel.

"Lots of people have  _issues,_ not just foster kids." Axel said in a slightly raised voice that caught the attention of one or two other customers. "There are plenty of kids who grew up with their parents and still have  _issues,_  so are you saying that it's the parents fault that it happened? Or is it the child's?"

"Alright, that's enough." Hartley tugged at Axel's sleeve in an attempt to ground him. Axel looked just seconds away from just completely losing it, and Hartley knew his parents would never forgive him if he let that happen. He never should have brought Axel along, not while he was so upset.

Hartley turned to his parents, who both seemed aware that people were watching them. "We should go." It was better that they leave now before things escalated and they all got kicked out. His parents would be beyond pissed off if that happened, and, actually, so would Axel. Hartley practically dragged Axel out of his seat. The two of them had barely taken five steps towards the exit when Hartley felt a firm but slightly gentle grip on his arm. He turned in surprise to face his father.

"Don't leave." Osgood said simply, which was enough to stun Hartley. His father had never asked him to stay for a longer period of time before. "How about we just continue this conversation somewhere a little more private?"

Hartley frowned at the suggestion. He knew his father well enough to know that whenever he suggested that a conversation be taken someplace more private he usually already had a place in mind. "Where?" Hartley asked cautiously.

"Home." Rachel said as she stood up from her seat. Hartley felt his world freeze. He was sure he couldn't have heard her right.

"Home? Seriously?" He searched his parents eyes for the slightest hint of dishonesty. "I swear to god, if you're just messing with me-"

"We're not." Rachel swore. "It's been so long since you've been home, and she misses you." Hartley's breath caught in his throat at her words. Any thought of hesitation vanished in an instant.

"She? She who?" Axel asked. Hartley blinked and looked at Axel in slight confusion. He had almost forgotten that he was there. Hartley frowned slightly. He was excited to go back to his parents house for the evening, but Axel...Hartley really wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to bring him along, but he couldn't exactly leave him here. Axel frowned at Hartley's expression.

"Wait, you're not leaving me, are you?" Axel pulled away from Hartley and looked at him with wide, hurt eyes.

"Of course not." Hartley assured him, and it was the truth. "There're just some things I need to tell you before we get there."

"You can discuss things in the car." Rachel picked up her purse. She and Osgood lead the way out of the restaurant. Hartley took Axel's hand in a way to show that he wasn't going to leave him. It was only when they got outside that Hartley realized just which car his parents had brought.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Hartley groaned.

"You're parents have a limo?" Axel stared at the vehicle in awe. It didn't matter that it was a rather small limo, it was still a major sign of wealth and fortune. This wasn't exactly how Hartley had planned on sharing his family's high status in society with Axel.

"Just get in." Hartley shoved his friend inside. Hartley's parents sat in the limo as though it was something they did every day (and they did) but he couldn't possibly feel more uncomfortable about it. Even when he was a kid Hartley always felt extremely awkward riding in his parents' limo. It was much too big for so few people and it just brought about a bunch of unnecessary attention.

It took a few minutes for Axel to get over the initial shock, but once he did he got right back on focus with what he had been talking about before. "So, uh, who's she?"

"My younger sister, Jerrie." Hartley said. Axel's eyes widened.

"You never told me you have a little sister." Axel said.

Hartley was tempted to say 'it never came up', but he held back. He had actually pointedly avoided bringing up his younger sister, and he knew his parents did the same, but for completely different reasons. "I tried to avoid even thinking about her." Hartley was kinda ashamed of that, but he couldn't help it.

"Do you not get along with her that much?" Axel asked.

"Are you kidding? I love being around Jerrie." Hartley looked out the window. "I just haven't been able to see her since I...left." Since he got kicked out was actually a more appropriate term, but he didn't want to say it that way with his parents sitting right there.

"Your parents kicked you out and then forbid you to see your sister?" Apparently Axel didn't have the same qualms as Hartley did.

"We did no such thing." Rachel cut in. "Hartley could have seen Jerrie anytime he wanted." Technically, that was true...it also wasn't.

"This is the first time you've allowed me to come home since I left." Hartley said sorely. "Jerrie never leaves the house, so how was I supposed to see her?"

"...Why doesn't she ever leave?" Axel asked.

Hartley sighed and pushed down the anger that he had towards his parents. He couldn't afford to show any anger once he arrived home, because Jerrie was amazing at sensing his discomfort, it and always made her uncomfortable, which was the last thing that he wanted. He was one of the few people that Jerrie felt comfortable being around, and he didn't want to ruin that.

"Jerrie is different from other people." Hartley said slowly. "She gets nervous when she's around people."

"Like you do?" Axel asked. Hartley blinked. He hadn't realized that Axel had noticed that he was tense around people. Not incredibly so, and not all the time, but apparently it was enough for it to be noticeable.

"It's worse for her." Hartley said. "She understands things differently than we do, and sometimes she doesn't know how to handle something that she doesn't understand."

"And she doesn't understand people." Axel realized. Hartley nodded.

"I know you don't like being told what to do, but can you just tone things down around her?" Hartley asked. He was surprised to see Axel smile.

"Yeah, I can do that." Axel said. "I'm actually pretty good at playing calm when I want to."

"You didn't at the restaurant." Osgood said irritably.

"Well, I didn't exactly want to, now did I?" Axel smirked. Hartley couldn't help but snicker slightly. He knew he shouldn't, but he just found it so amusing how unapologetic Axel was towards his parents.

It didn't really take all that long for them to arrive at the Rathaway house, which was almost more of a mansion than anything. Hartley saw Axel's expression become one of awe again, though there was also a look of discomfort.

"Did you seriously grow up  _here?_ " Axel asked. He didn't sound envious, which Hartley actually appreciated.

"Yep." Hartley sighed. "It's even worse on the inside."

"Oh, yay." Axel rolled his eyes.

When they finally went inside Hartley saw that everything looked the exact same as when he had left. Nothing had changed. He didn't know whether he should be annoyed, relieved or sickened by that fact. He didn't focus too long on the decor though. Even through the large house he could hear the almost squeaky but not unpleasant sound of a recorder. Hartley gave a small smile at the sound.

Axel tilted his head and listened. "Hey, I know that song." Hartley paused and listened carefully. He could make out the tune now as well. It was the song that Hartley's mother used to sing to him when he was young and upset, it was one he sung to Jerrie when she was having one of her fits, and it was the song that Hartley had sung to Axel the night he had almost killed himself.

"Not While I'm Around." Hartley muttered. He ran up the stairs, barely even taking note of the fact that Axel was following right at his heels. Hartley headed straight to Jerrie's room and was pleased to find that the door was open. She always got scared when somebody startled her by arriving unannounced. At least with the door open she could see and hear them coming.

Hartley stood in the doorway and just watched Jerrie for a few minutes. Her playing had improved since the last time he had heard her play. He could still hear a few sour notes here and there, but at least the tune was identifiable.

No wanting to interrupt her Hartley waited until the end of the song to say anything. "You're really starting to get good at that thing."

Jerrie squeaked in surprise and looked up at Hartley. She didn't seem surprised to see someone there, so she must have heard  _someone_ come and just hadn't known who it was. When she saw him though Jerrie's eyes brightened and she smiled broadly.

"Har!" Jerrie put down her recorder, rushed to her feet and ran over to him. Hartley wasn't usually a fan of physical contact, but Jerrie was always an exception for that. Hartley pulled her into a tight hug and swore that he would never let her go.

"Hey, kiddo." Hartley ran a hand through her strawberry blonde hair. "You surviving okay here on your own?"

"Uh huh?" Jerrie nodded. "I missed you though."

"I missed you too." God, Jerrie had no idea just how much he had missed her. The two siblings clung to each other tightly for a few moments before either of them were willing to loosen their grip. Jerrie pulled slightly away from Hartley, probably so she could get a good look at him, but she froze and locked eyes with something over his shoulder. Confused Hartley turned his head to find Axel standing awkwardly behind him. He had almost forgotten that he was there at all.

"Who's that?" Jerrie asked in a quiet, shy voice. She adjusted her position so she was practically hidden from Axel's view.

"That's my friend." Hartley gestured for Axel to come closer. His friend hesitated, which he didn't understand. It wasn't as though Jerrie would bit him. After a moment though Axel took a tentative step forward and crouched down on the floor next to Hartley.

Jerrie tilted her head and looked at Axel. She leaned towards Hartley and whispered loudly. "Why's your friend scared of me?"

"I have no idea." Hartley mock whispered back. Why don't you ask him?" Jerrie crawled in front of Axel and leaned in so she was right in front of his face. Axel leaned away from her, but she just leaned in closer.

"Why are you scared of me?" Jerrie asked.

"I'm...not?" Axel said unsurely. "I just...I don't know. I feel like I'm going to do something wrong."

"You won't." Jerrie assured him. She picked up her recorder and offered it to Axel. "You wanna try?"

Axel gave a small smile "Sure." He took the recorder, didn't even bother wiping down the mouth piece, and played out a note. It was a squeaky, extremely loud note, but a note nonetheless. Axel giggled slightly. "This is so much easier than the flute."

"You play the flute?" Jerrie asked.

"Yeah, I've been borrowing Hartley's." Axel said. Jerrie frowned slightly at that.

"Oh, Hartley's flute is a lot harder to play than a normal one." Jerrie said. She got to her feet and went over to her bed. She leaned down and reached under her bed. She pulled out a flute case that Hartley recognized as his old one.

"You kept that this whole time?" He asked.

"Yeah." Jerrie returned to them and knelt down on the ground. She placed the case in front of her and opened it up. Axel looked at the pieces.

"This is a lot smaller than Hartley's." Axel said. He picked up the three pieces of the flute and put them together. Axel gave an experimental blow into the mouthpiece and pulled away into shock when it actually let out a clear note. Hartley snickered at Axel's expression. His friend looked at him with a look of mock betrayal.

"You never told me that your flute was harder to play." Axel accused him.

"I said from the very start that it was a modified flute." Hartley reminded him with a smirk. "That kinda implies that it's more difficult to play."

"Yeah, but would it kill you to spell things out for all of us idiots every once and awhile?" Axel muttered grumpily.

Hartley was about to retort when he heard what sounded like his father clearing his throat behind them. Hartley turned to see their parents standing in the doorway, watching them.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything." Rachel said. "But Hartley, if we could have a word?"

Hartley sighed, but got to his feet. "Jerrie, why don't you show Axel how to properly play that thing before he breaks it I'll only be a few minutes." He didn't want to do this, but he figured he should humor his parents. He probably should have seen this coming. He figured that if his parents wanted to talk to him they would do it without any friends, younger siblings or random strangers around.

Hartley followed his parents out into the hallway. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Osgood looked awkward at the question, but Rachel answered it in stride. "We just wanted to know how you've been holding up." Hartley gaped at his parents, because that really wasn't like them. Even when he was a child they rarely asked how his day had been. Why was anything any different now?

"It's fine." Hartley said somewhat coldly. He couldn't help it. Hartley instinctively reacted coldly or harshly when he didn't understand something.

You don't need help financially? Or with work?" Rachel seemed to be digging for something. Hartley just stared at her.

"What?" What the hell was all of this coming from? Why did his mom think that he needed, or wanted, their help with anything.

Osgood sighed and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I told you he would react this way, Rachel. Hartley's a grown man, you can't try to treat him like a child." Osgood turned towards Hartley. "Your mother's been desiring for somebody to take care of." Oh, that kind of made sense. It certainly explained why she had been bugging him more and more frequently about giving her grandchildren. What Hartley  _didn't_ understand though was why she was pushing her desires onto him when she still had a child living at home.

"Why don't you just do more to take care of Jerrie?" Hartley asked. Rachel froze at his words. They both knew that she wasn't very involved in Jerrie's life and never had been. It wasn't that she didn't like her, because Rachel loved Jerrie just as much as she did Hartley. She just didn't know hot to deal with Jerrie and her different way of doing things.

"We really don't have that much in common." Rachel said quietly, as though she was trying to think of the smallest excuse to not spend time with her thirteen year old daughter.

Hartley scowled. His mother's awkwardness and denial about his sister's condition was going to ruin Jerrie's life. "Writing." He said grumpily. "You both like writing." Unlike Hartley, who had nearly failed every single english class in high school, Jerrie had a passion for language and literature. Hartley knew that she had recently started writing her own poetry, she said that it was much easier to explain how she thought and felt on paper than through spoken words. And it just so happened that Hartley's mother was an amateur writer herself and always used to try to get Hartley interested in it as well.

A slight blush of either embarrassment or shame hit Rachel's cheeks. "Yes, I suppose you're right." Hartley frowned. Did his mother honestly need to sound so dubious?

"Of course I'm right." He crossed his arms. Hartley was about to say more on the matter when Jerrie came running out of her room and she looked confused and concerned about something.

"Har, something's wrong with your friend." Jerrie said, though she didn't sound sure. "I was showing him how to play the flute and he just fell asleep."

Hartley frowned slightly. "Again?" He swore, he would never get used to Axel's sleeping habits. From past experience though Axel falling asleep without any warning whatsoever was an indication that he hadn't bothered to go to sleep the night before. "Hang on, I'll come get him." Hartley followed Jerrie back to her room and just as she said, there was Axel fast asleep on the floor.

"I guess that means it's time for us to go." Hartley bent down and awkwardly picked up Axel so he could drape him over his shoulders. Axel moaned quietly and shifted in his sleep so he was practically nuzzling against Hartley's shoulder.

Jerrie frowned when Hartley said he needed to leave. "Do you have to go?"

"I'm afraid so." Hartley apologized. Another odd thing about Axel's sleeping habits was that he often woke up as quickly as he fell asleep, and if he woke up somewhere that he wasn't familiar with he might freak out, which might cause Jerrie to do the same. No, it was better for all of them if he just took Axel back home.

"You'll come back soon, won't you?" Jerrie asked. Hartley turned his head to look back at his parents. Osgood nodded slightly, which was a good enough answer for him.

"Of course I will." Hartley said. Even if his parents didn't approve of it he would still probably come see Jerrie anyways, because he was tired of not having his little sister in his life. "Besides, I have to come back to get my old flute for Axel." Hartley didn't want his old instrument to go to waste, and Jerrie certainly seemed to prefer her recorder. Hartley was sure that Axel would enjoy learning to play the instrument.

"I'll hold onto it until you get back." Jerrie picked up the flute and began to put it away. Hartley appreciated that she seemed to be aware that he couldn't carry both the flute and Axel back to his place.

Hartley nodded politely to his parents and went to leave. His home was a fair distance away, but fortunately Axel was asleep. As long as he wasn't conscious Axel wouldn't be able to complain about Hartley getting a cab. He wouldn't even be aware of it.

Hartley was easily able to find a taxi, which he was surprised about. The driver didn't ask about his unconscious friend, probably just assumed that he was drunk, he just drove them. Hartley had briefly considered taking Axel back to his apartment, but he had ultimately decided against it. Hartley didn't like or trust Axel's apartment, it was way too shabby for his liking. Besides, Hartley's place was closer than Axel's.

At least, that was what Hartley told himself. Nobody needed to know that he just missed having Axel around his home. If anybody  _did_ know that Hartley felt that way, he would just deny it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kinda feels all over the place. Maybe this isn't the best thing I've ever written, but I wasn't originally going to have it. I only decided to write it because I remembered Jerrie. How could I not include Jerrie in this? She's Hartley's little sister, of course I'm going to include something with her. I wasn't exactly sure how to write her because literally all I know about her from the comics is that she has a developmental disorder...great, that really doesn't give me much. I mean, technically speaking I have a developmental disorder, and, with the way I've been writing Hartley, he does too


	15. Chapter 15

Hartley hadn't thought that one could hear the sound of silence, but his own mind proved him wrong.

He wasn't really the kind of person who had dreams when he slept. Hartley knew that technically he probably  _did_ dream all the time, but he just never remembered them. Very few dreams impacted him enough for him to even be able to remember them the next morning. However, very,  _very_ occasionally he would have a dream, usually a nightmare, that got to him, and even long after he had woken up he still couldn't let go of the images he had seen in his sleep.

Dreams weren't just a visual experience though, they could be an auditory one as well. More often than not it was what Hartley 'heard' in his dreams that stuck with him for hours after he woke up...Or, more accurately, it was what Hartley  _didn't_ hear that bothered him so much.

Even though Hartley didn't have dreams  _or_ nightmares all that often, the one reoccurring nightmare that he got was one that was all too real to him. Hartley never in a million years would tell  _anybody_  about his problems. He still had a hard time admitting to himself that this was all connected to a very real fear of his from his childhood.

Maybe the problem that Hartley had with these nightmares was that he always had the intense fear pushed to the very back of his mind. When he was sleeping though he couldn't exactly control what his mind did, and sometimes his brain would decide to shove those fears to the very forefront of his mind.

Hartley absolutely hated it when that happened.

It was really strange, actually, how Hartley's nightmares about being deaf again were always much worse than he remembered actually being deaf had been. When he was a child that was just the way that he was and it was something he had learned to live with. Now though, Hartley had spent more time with his hearing than without. Sound and music had become a huge part of who he was, and the thought of ever losing that absolutely terrified him.

Which was why Hartley found himself wide awake in the ungodly early hours of the morning. He was too afraid of a repeat performance, so he just lay in his bed and tried to take comfort in any sound he could hear. It was nights like this that Hartley regretted buying a house on the quieter side of town. Usually he prefered the solitude, peace and quiet. After a nightmare like this though, peace and quiet was the absolute  _last_ thing that Hartley wanted.

The only sound he could actually hear was that of his own harsh, panicked breathing, and he hardly could take any comfort in that. After struggling to calm down for a few minutes Hartley gave up trying to do it on his own and just grabbed his phone from the desk by his bed. He grabbed his earbuds, plugged them in and turned on the first available song.

That was a mistake.

' _Hello darkness, my old friend…'_

"Oh, come on!" Whoever decided that it would be a good idea to name a song ' _The Sound of Silence'_ was a massive idiot. Hartley pulled the earbuds out of his ears and threw his phone across the room in frustration. It likely would have done some damage to either itself or the door that it was about to hit, but at that second Axel opened the door and entered the room. The only reason he wasn't hit in the face was because even when he was fast asleep Axel still had very quick reflexes. Axel caught the phone instinctively and then looked at it curiously for a moment.

"Why are you throwing phones again?" Axel asked sleepily. Hartley felt his face go red in embarrassment.

"It was an accident." He ground out.

"Oh, okay." Axel nodded. His eyes began to droop closed again. Hartley expected him to turn around and go back to sleep on the couch, but instead Axel continued. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Hartley's blush deepened. He was glad the room was dark so Axel couldn't see. "Why would you think that?"

"I heard you screaming." Axel said with a yawn.

"Oh." Hartley frowned. He hadn't realized that he had screamed or anything like that after waking up. If he hadn't been bothered by such a horrible dream, then he would say that  _this_ was an absolute nightmare. He was just lucky that Axel was so drop-dead exhausted right now. He probably wouldn't remember any of this in the morning.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Axel asked.

"Even if I did, I doubt that you're in any state to listen." Hartley said, because Axel honestly looked like he was barely keeping himself up. "Why don't you go back to sleep."

Axel yawned and rubbed at his eyes. "Yeah, okay." But instead of retreating back the way he had come Axel stumbled towards Hartley's bed and collapsed onto it. Hartley froze up immediately.

"What are you doing?" Hartley asked tensely. "Go back to the couch."

"Too tired." Axel mumbled through the pillow that he was burying his face in. "Your bed feels nice."

"Axel." Hartley said in a warning tone. He couldn't see this ending up well for either of them. Hartley knew that he wouldn't be able to relax with Axel sleeping inches away from him, and Axel would more likely than not freak out if he woke up snuggled against his extremely gay friend. It had happened before, and Axel had avoided him for a few days afterwards.

"I swear to god, Axel, if you do this than I will  _never_  let you stay the night again." Hartley threatened. Axel just snuggled further into the covers.

"Can't hear you, too tired." Axel muttered. "G'night."

"Axel!" Hartley hissed, but he didn't get any response. Axel was all but dead to the world and he wouldn't be responsive at all for at least the next six hours. "Fantastic." Hartley muttered to himself. He supposed that he could literally kick Axel off the bed to get him to move, but he wasn't going to risk it. Axel would just end up being extremely irritated and would probably get his revenge by reheating a hamburger in Hartley's microwave while it was wrapped in aluminum foil...again.

"You're such a pain in the ass." Hartley swore under his breath. Axel gave a snore, an honest to god he was already sound asleep snore, in response. Hartley scowled. He really didn't understand how his friend had fallen asleep almost instantly. It was seriously unfair. Axel had been startled awake and had still felt tired and secure enough to fall asleep again moments later.

Meanwhile Hartley was haunted by the memories of his nightmares and his past, and he didn't feel like he could truly sleep right now. Hartley was still extremely bothered by the mere thought of being deaf again, and his home was  _way_ too quiet for him to even begin to feel more secure about it at the moment.

And, to add insult to injury, Axel was snoring obnoxiously loudly, and constantly as well. The sound was beginning to give him a major headache...wait a minute.

Snoring, noise...not silence.

"Axel, you beautiful, idiotic genius." Hartley muttered fondly. He wasn't sure whether Axel had let himself onto Hartley's bed because he was lazy, or if it was his way of trying to help him out. Either way, Axel was going to be much more helpful for Hartley than he would have thought.

Axel's constant snoring, while irritating, was somewhat soothing. After all, Hartley couldn't possibly be concerned about being deaf when there was such a ridiculous sound that was right away from him. On top of that, just the fact that Axel was there, right next to him, was assuring in and of itself.

Even though he was still on edge, Hartley leaned back against his pillow and tried to relax. It was difficult at first, but just one grasp at Axel's hand and he felt almost instantly grounded. It was like when he calmed himself with his music, but more effective. There was just something about being around Axel that calmed him. He didn't really understand it, but he wasn't entirely sure that he had to.

"Oh, Axel, what are you doing to me?" Hartley said to himself.


	16. Chapter 16

"Can we test them out now?" Axel whined. Hartley sighed and tightened his grip on his tool.

"I told you fifteen more minutes seven minutes ago." Hartley reminded him as he fought to keep himself from becoming irritated. He didn't work as well when he was frustrated, and he just wanted to get this task done with. Partially because he wanted to get Axel off his back about it, and partially because he really was excited about seeing these babies in action. "But if you don't stop bugging me they'll take even longer, so shut up."

Axel pouted and crossed both his arms and his legs. He was sitting on mattresses that they had stacked together. Hartley didn't have to be looking at him to know that his friend was looking all around the room, turning his head from side to side as though it was physically impossible for him to stand still. If Hartley  _was_ looking at him he would probably be beyond distracted by it, but his focus was on the shoes in front of him.

It had been a long time since Axel had first shown Hartley the shoes that supposably were made to fly. Hartley had told him that he would help get the project off the ground, but only now, months later, was he actually bothering to do so.

There wasn't really all that much work that needed to be done with the shoes. They could get off the ground, they just lacked control. Fortunately, Hartley was much better at these smaller details than Axel was, and he knew that it wouldn't really take him long to figure this out. He just needed Axel to give him the chance to do so.

Actually, Axel had been incredibly patient. The two of them had been coming to Axel's warehouse everyday for the past week so Hartley could work on the shoes for an hour or two, and Axel had only gotten bored and whined two or three times every day. Honestly, Hartley figured that if he really wanted to he could have declared the shoes done on the third day, but he didn't because  _Axel_ was going to be the one using the shoes, and Hartley wanted to be positive that they functioned correctly.

"Okay." Hartley put the shoes and tool down. He wiped his brow and looked back at Axel, who was leaning towards him anxiously. "I think they're good."

"Yes!" Axel jumped to his feet and lunged forward. Hartley grabbed the pair of shoes and held them to his chest tightly before Axel could make a grab for them.

"Hang on, we can't just jump into this." Hartley said sternly. "If you insist on using these, we're going to do it right." Hartley gestured to the corner of the room where his bag was. "There's a helmet over there, and you're not getting off the ground without it." He had to raise his voice slightly to be heard over the sound of Axel's obnoxious groan.

"But Hart-" Axel whined.

"No." Hartley insisted, and he wasn't about to be swayed. "You're flying with a helmet, or not at all, it's your choice." Axel muttered loudly about how it wasn't much of a choice, but he stomped over to Hartley's bag to get the helmet anyways. Axel reluctantly put it on and glared at him

"Thank you." Hartley put the shoes back on the table. "Now help me get these mattresses into position." It took a few minutes, because Axel kept on 'accidentally' dropping his end of the mattresses, but they were able to lay them and their other available padding on the floor and against the walls. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely." Axel was already starting to pull the shoes on.

"And you know how they work, right?" Hartley was still feeling nervous about that whole thing. Axel just laughed.

"Hey, you may have tweaked them, but they're still my shoes, I know what I'm doing." Axel practically ran to the ten foot tall tower of boxes they had stacked previously. He scampered up to the top, leaving Hartley to once again marvel at Axel's monkey-like climbing skills. Axel stood at the top of the boxes, and even though he normally was one who had a major flair for the dramatics, But he didn't even pause for dramatic effect. Axel just jumped right off the edge of the box.

Hartley wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, he really couldn't bare to watch if something went horribly wrong. He couldn't bring himself to look away though, which was rather fortunate. If he had actually closed his eyes than Hartley wouldn't have been able to feel the sense of pride and wonder when he first saw Axel floating there. He looked so sturdy that if Hartley didn't know any better he would think that he was just standing on an invisible box or something, but no, he was really floating.

"Oh my god." Hartley grinned. "It really worked."

"They worked!" Axel whooped ecstatically. Without even hesitating charged forward and just started running through the air, laughing like a madman. "They work. Hartley, they work!"

"Yeah, I can see that." Hartley found himself laughing too, because Axel's excitement was extremely contagious. "Just be care-" At that instant though Axel tripped over his own feet. Hartley winced when he saw Axel fall from the air and crash head first on one of the mattresses.

"Oh my god, Axel!" Hartley ran to his friend's side. "Are you okay?" He pulled Axel into a sitting position and frowned when he felt him shaking slightly. "Are you hurt?"

"H-hart." Axel's voice trembled slightly and Hartley was starting to become seriously concerned. The more he listened though the more he realized that Axel wasn't sobbing quietly or wincing in pain, he was laughing. Axel was freaking  _laughing_...of course. "That was awesome." Even with a bloody and possibly broken nose Axel still found the excitement in 'flying' (and crashing) because of his shoes.

"Yeah, you would think so." Hartley let out a short laugh in relief. He shoved at Axel's shoulder.

"But I'm serious, Hart. It was amazing." Axel said, his eyes wide and full of excitement and adrenalin. " _You're_ amazing." There was a look in his eyes that made Hartley feel slightly uneasy. Axel's eyes only had this specific spark in them when he was about to do something absolutely crazy and impulsive that he would likely regret later. Hartley was just about to ask what was going on but before he could open his mouth Axel leaned forward and did something that Hartley wouldn't have seen coming in a million years.

He kissed him.

Axel Walker, the guy who was always teasing him for being gay and was basically borderline homophobic, was kissing him. After the initial shock had worn off Hartley couldn't resist kissing him back. A moment later Axel seemed to get over the shock himself. He let out a slight shriek and shoved Hartley away from him.

"I-I...You…" Axel stammered, his face beet red. "Hartley!"

"What?" Hartley frowned.

"You kissed me." Axel said, and he actually sounded betrayed about it, which just infuriated Hartley. It had seriously happened two seconds ago. How could Axel have already forgotten who had done the kissing?

" _You_ kissed me first." Hartley reminded him. Axel shook his head.

"I-I just…" Axel looked around anxiously, as though hoping that an excuse was hidden somewhere in the room for him to use. "It's your fault!"

"My fault?" Hartley glared slightly and crossed his arms defensively. "How is this my fault?" And why did there have to be any fault in this? They had kissed, not broken an irreplaceable vase.

"It just is." Axel said stubbornly. "You did something to me. You-you turned me gay."

"Okay, now you're just being ridiculous." Hartley scowled. "You know that 'gay' isn't a disease. It's not contagious. You can't 'catch' gay from me any more than I can get straight from you."

"Well, you must've figured out how to do it then with your mind control flute." Axel said, which made Hartley want to bang his head against the wall. Axel  _knew_ that Hartley's flute didn't work on people yet, and even if it did it affected people's movements, not their thoughts. Hartley was so busy thinking about how stupid Axel was being that he almost missed his next words. "Because I never felt like this before I met you, so it has to be your fault."

Hartley frowned. Since when were there actual feelings involved in this whole thing? Was Axel  _not_ just being an idiotic, impulsive idiot who was acting without thinking? Oh, god, was there more to this? Hartley didn't want to get his hopes up that there was, but it would certainly explain why Axel was getting all flustered.

...Great, so either Hartley liked a kid who was completely straight and just did random things for 'who-the-hell-knows-why' reasons, or he liked a kid who was so deep in denial about his own sexuality that he was blaming  _Hartley_ for it. Honestly, he didn't know which was worse.

"What kind of feelings are you talking about?" Hartley asked, even though he had a fairly good idea. Than again, with Axel there really was no way to be completely certain.

Hartley hadn't thought it possible, but Axel's face went even redder at the question. "I...You...Shut up!" Axel scampered to his feet, shoved Hartley aside, and ran out of the room and probably out of the warehouse as though his life depended on it. Under normal circumstances Hartley would go off after him, but all he could do was sit on the ground and wonder what the hell had just happened.

Damn it, why were emotions so complicated. Hartley had always had a hard time understanding his  _own_ emotions, translating somebody else's though, it just wasn't going to happen. He couldn't possibly know how somebody was feeling by what they did...unless it was extremely obvious and practically spelled out for him, and this wasn't. As much as Hartley hated to admit it, he needed help.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Hartley muttered to himself as he took his phone out of his pocket. Before he could think twice about it he dialed out the number that he had, for some reason, memorized. The phone rang a good number of times and Hartley was starting to think that he wasn't sure whether he wanted the line to be answered or not. He was both relieved and disappointed when the phone was finally answered.

"Hey, uh, Hartley." Cisco's confused voice said on the other line. "What's up?"

Hartley both cursed and was immensely grateful for caller I.D. Gah, stupid emotions, making it difficult to think clearly. Stupid kiss. Stupid Axel.

"I need help." Hartley said bluntly before he could chicken out. There was silence on the other end for a moment.

"...Seriously?" Cisco asked.

"Yes, seriously." Hartley growled. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He could already feel a headache coming on. "Believe it or not, I  _am_ aware of my lack of knowledge when it comes to emotions."

"Yeah, you kinda suck." Cisco said, and Hartley knew that he was just enjoying every second of this. "So, what kinda problems are you having?"

Hartley sighed. He couldn't believe that he was about to spill all of this to  _Cisco_ of all people. "What does it mean when somebody makes it extremely clear that they're not interested in you romantically, but then they kiss you, but  _then_ they panic and run off?"

There was complete silence on the other end for awhile and Hartley almost started to think that they had lost their connection. Finally though Cisco got a grip of himself. "Axel did what now?"

"He kissed me." Hartley repeated. "And then he ran off."

"...Huh." Cisco sounded about as confused as Hartley felt, which really wasn't helping his confidence. "Didn't think he had it in him. Hang on, I need some backup for this." Before Hartley could ask what he was talking about Cisco had started discussing this whole thing with somebody else that he was with. And now yet another person knew about this ridiculous situation...fantastic.

It only took a moment for Cisco to get back to Hartley. "Hey, Caitlin says this is something we should discuss in person. We're at Jitters right now, if you want to come." Actually, meeting up with Caitlin and Cisco to talk about his relationship with Axel was pretty much the last thing that Hartley wanted to do, but it wasn't as though he had a better idea.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." Hartley said before hanging up. He knew it was incredibly rude to hang up the phone without saying a proper goodbye, but he always felt incredibly awkward during that part of a conversation. Besides, it always annoyed Cisco whenever he hang up on him, so there was that.

It took Hartley only about twelve minutes to get to CC Jitters, and he still wasn't sure if this whole thing was a good idea, which he hated. Hartley absolutely  _despised_  being indecisive about anything. He had already told them that he would come though, and he knew that if he didn't follow through with this than both Caitlin and Cisco wouldn't let him hear the end of it.

Hartley sat at a table next to Caitlin (he refused to sit next to Cisco) and glared slightly at the two of them. "Alright, what am I doing here?"

"Alright, here's the thing." Caitlin said, getting straight to business. "We can't tell you what Axel's behavior meant." Hartley grew irritated. If that was the case, than what was the point in him coming here? "Only he can do that."

"You want me to talk to Axel?" Hartley could have figured out that much on his own. He wasn't  _that_ incapable of handling emotions.

"I think you should text Axel and ask if he will meet you to talk." Caitlin said. "You make the first move and put the ball in his court, then he can decide what to do from there."

"So what did I come here for?" Hartley asked, because she really could have just said this over the phone.

"It'll be easier to make sure you don't screw things up if we can see what you're doing." Caitlin said. "Go ahead and text him."

Hartley scowled. He hated being told what to do, but he knew that stubborn look in Caitlin's eyes, and she seriously wasn't going to let him leave until he did as she asked. So Hartley got out his phone and started typing out a text. He didn't exactly understand how he could screw up a simple text, but apparently Caitlin honestly thought that he needed coaching on the matter.

"No, you can't just say 'we need to talk'." Caitlin said as she looked over Hartley's shoulder. "That makes you sound too serious and you'll scare him away. Just ask if he'll meet you here tomorrow to talk about what happened." Hartley frowned, but he did as she said. Her version really did sound less intimidating. Not that he would ever tell  _her_ that.

Hartley had gotten Caitlin's approval on his test message, and he sent it. Barely a second had passed before Cisco decided to contribute his two cents. "Did you clarify that this is a date?"

"What?" Hartley and Caitlin both looked at Cisco who shrugged.

"Dude, if you're meeting up with somebody at a coffee shop to talk about a kiss, than it's a date." Cisco said, though Hartley didn't think that that was necessarily true. Still, now that he thought about it, if Axel did show up Hartley probably would think of their meeting as a date of sorts. At least this way they would be on the same page about it.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Hartley typed out another message and sent it out. He put the phone back in his pocket, because he really wasn't expecting Axel to respond. He would either show up or he wouldn't, and there was no use thinking about it now. "I'm going to go get a drink." Hartley excused himself and joined the line of impatient customers that were waiting for their coffee.

Just before it was Hartley's turn at the counter he heard a small ping from his phone. He had gotten a new text message. Feeling slightly confused and curious Hartley took out his phone and felt his heart stop slightly when he saw that it was from Axel. Hartley hadn't been expecting a response from him, but now that he had one he was feeling extremely nervous about it.

Hartley took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. This wasn't anything serious. It was a just a text. It was just Axel. There was nothing to stress about. If Axel said yes, fantastic, if he said no, Hartley would live with it. There was no point in psyching himself up about this. Hartley opened the message.

' _I'll think about it.'_

Hartley didn't know how he felt about that.


	17. Chapter 17

Axel was running away...again. It seemed to be the only thing he was actually good at. He was always running away from his foster homes. Away from his problems. Away from the judgmental stares that may or may not actually exist. Away from his own stupid, damn mind. And now he was trying to run away from his emotions and thoughts about what he had done.

Stupid Hartley. This was all  _his_ fault. If he hadn't been so...so... _Hartley_ , than none of this would have happened.

Right?

No, of course right. Of course this was Hartley's fault.  _Hartley_  was the one that was gay, not Axel. Hartley was a smart guy. He must've manipulated the situation or did something to influence Axel's subconscious, because there was no way he would have ever ki...he wouldn't have kiss…

It just wouldn't have happened, and there was a very simple explanation as to why not. Because Axel  _was not gay!_  He knew he wasn't. He couldn't be...he  _really_ didn't want to be.

Everything was just so messed up, and even though Axel was a fan of chaos (too much order kinda freaked him out. It just wasn't natural), even he thought that this was all too much. He couldn't handle these feelings of whatever. He didn't even know what the feelings  _were._ Sure, they might be  _feelings_ feelings, but they also might not be...but they also might be.

Gah! Not for the first time Axel found himself agreeing with Hartley. Feelings were stupid. People were stupid. And feelings about people were the worst thing in the world.

Axel didn't want to think or feel anything about this, so he ran, figuratively and literally. He wasn't even paying attention to where he was going. Axel just let his feet take him wherever they wanted to take him. Axel just ran, and he kept on running until he couldn't anymore. Only then did he stop, and when he did he realized that he knew this place.

It was a nice looking neighborhood. Quiet. The type of neighborhood that Axel had always hated, even as a kid, because it seemed like if you dared to set foot on the streets than you needed to be a nice person. Because, of course, only good people deserved to live in good, safe neighborhoods and homes.

Axel didn't exactly have an issue with  _this_ neighborhood though because he knew that Wally lived around here. Axel didn't know the guy all  _that_ well, but they hung out sometimes, and enjoyed each other's company decently enough. Wally just seemed to be relieved that there was somebody else around who was his age and not super serious all the time. Axel was just glad to have a friend other than Hartley who didn't judge him for his past.

Wally...he was good at feelings and relationships and stuff. Or, at the very least, he had to be better at them than Axel was. Maybe he would know what to do about this.

Axel approached the house that he remembered was Wally's. Only now that he had stopped running did he realize just how out of breath and tired he was. Oh, and his nose was hurting too. Really badly, actually. Like, ow, how had he not noticed that before?

Axel pounded loudly on the door and just kept on knocking. He  _needed_  to talk to Wally, to just see a friendly non-kissable face. A few moments passed and Axel was just beginning to think that nobody really was home when he heard somebody on the other side of the door.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." An annoyed voice that definitely didn't belong to Wally said. The door was opened and Axel's eyes widened in surprise. For some reason he hadn't even considered that Barry might be here, but he was...fantastic.

Barry looked just as shocked to see him there, though he didn't exactly look angry, which was definitely a first. Axel could count on one hand the number of times that Barry  _hadn't_ looked at him as if he was the scum of the earth. Although, maybe Barry was just so surprised to see Axel that he hadn't fully processed it yet.

"Axel, what are you doing here?" Barry asked.

"I...Hartley...kiss." Was all that Axel could get out. Note to self. Out of breath plus flustered equaled an inability to talk. That was good to know.

"Hartley kissed you?" Barry's voice sounded kinda surprised, but not completely shocked.

Axel wanted to say 'yes, Hartley kissed me and was trying to make a move on me', but his mouth just wasn't working. The only thing he could do was shake his head, which was  _not_ what he meant. Sure,  _technically_  Hartley hadn't kissed him, but Axel was still in denial of it having happened the other way around.

"Uh, okay." Barry frowned slightly in hesitation. "...Did  _you_ kiss Hartley?"

' _No!'_ was what Axel really,  _really_  wanted to say. But, once again, his head acted without his consent. He found himself nodding, which meant that he was telling Barry ' _yes, I did kiss Hartley',_ which was the  _last_ thing that Axel had wanted to say.

"Oh." Barry nodded. "I get it."  _Seriously?_ Because Axel was the one who had done this, and  _he_ didn't get any of it. "So, uh, you wanna come inside and talk about it?" That sounded like a horrible idea.

"Not with you." Axel scowled. Barry had made it very clear from the second they had met each other that he didn't like Axel, and the feeling was more than mutual.

"Yeah, I probably should have expected that." Barry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Look, I...I'm sorry."

"What?" Axel blinked. That wasn't what he had been expecting.

Barry looked him in the eyes. "I judged your unfairly. I mean, I'll be honest, I still don't really like you, but I'm willing to admit that I was wrong about you still being a threat to society."

"Huh." Axel frowned and tilted his head slightly. "What changed your mind?"

"Well, the fact that you've been out of prison for about a year now and haven't done anything was kinda a wake up call." Barry admitted. "And when I saw the way you interacted with James Jesse…"

Axel's stomach twisted up like a pretzel. He  _really_ didn't want to be thinking about his father right now. "Got it." Axel said, because he didn't need to hear any more. "So, uh, is Wally around?" Axel would definitely rather talk to him than Barry.

"Afraid not." Barry shrugged. "You wanna come in anyways? We have some leftover pizza." Okay, now Barry was just playing unfairly.

"Sure." Axel said, because how could he turn down pizza? He followed Barry into the house and towards the kitchen. Axel made himself comfortable on the counter while Barry searched through the fridge for the leftovers.

A minute later Barry had found and reheated some leftover pizza. He handed plate with a few slices on it to Axel, who immediately started digging in and kept one for himself. "So, what's the deal with this thing between you and Hartley?"

Axel nearly choked on his food. "O-oh my god, don't say it like  _that!_ " Barry made it sound like there actually was something between Axel and Hartley, and there wasn't and never would be...probably...except, maybe not. "There's  _nothing_ between me and Hartley."

"Okay, okay." Barry put up his hands in a defensive way. "...But do you want there to be?"

Axel froze as he thought about the question, because, honestly, he wasn't entirely sure. "I don't know." He admitted quietly.

"Well, do you have feelings for him?" Barry asked.

"Of course." Axel scoffed at the question. "I just don't know if they're  _feelings_ feelings, or just feelings, you know?"

"Strangely enough, I do." Barry said. "Look, these kind of feelings are complicated. Have you ever, uh,  _like_ liked someone before?"

"I don't think so." Axel said honestly. He had never really liked people in general growing up. Even now he wasn't the biggest fan of mankind.

"Okay, so you don't have anything to compare this to." Barry thought for a moment. "Well, how  _does_ Hartley make you feel?"

"Uh, I don't know." Axel had no idea how to express his feelings through words, but he didn't exactly see the harm in trying. "I feel...normal when I'm with Hartley. I just….I just  _like_ Hartley." Axel groaned. That was completely useless information and it didn't mean anything!

"That's great!" Barry beamed, which caused Axel to frown. Apparently something that meant nothing to him was completely understood by Barry Allen.

"It is?" Axel asked. "But I explained it badly."

"That's part of what makes it so great." Barry said. "Feelings like this are just hard to explain, and even harder to recognize."

"So how do I know if they're feelings like that?" Axel asked, because he still wasn't sure.

Barry shrugged. "You just gotta trust your gut on that, I guess." Oh, well, wasn't  _that_ fantastic advice? Axel opened his mouth to tell Barry just where he could stick his words of wisdom when his cell phone dinged, alerting him to a text. Axel froze. Only one person ever really texted him, and Axel didn't think he was ready to confront him right now.

...but he had to hear what he had to say.

Axel too out his phone and quickly opened up his new message before he could chicken out. He was right. It was Hartley, and he was wanting to meet up the next day at CC Jitters to talk about what had happened.

Axel took in a deep breath as he tried to figure out whether he wanted to go or not. Before he could even release his breath a new text arrived from Hartley. The message had just seven words in it, but reading it made Axel feel like the world around him had stopped.

'And yes. This would be a date.'

Oh no.

"What's up?" Barry asked, his voice tinged slightly with concern. "You're pale."

"Hartley wants to meet at CC Jitters tomorrow." Axel replied with a half truth.

"Are you gonna go?" Barry asked.

"...I don't know." Axel said for what felt like the millionth time that day, but he couldn't help it. All of these complicated emotions and thoughts made him feel completely lost. Axel stared at his phone for a few minutes and just tried to gather his thoughts. It was kinda hard to do, because his thoughts were even more all over the place than they normally were. He could only distinguish one thought above the others.

"I like Hartley." Axel said in a quiet voice. "But I-I'm not...I can't be…"

"Gay?" Barry raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think there's something wrong with being gay?"

Axel wasn't entirely sure. His upbringing told him 'yes, there was something  _very_ wrong with being gay'. But his friendship with Hartley said otherwise. After all, Hartley was about as gay as they come, but Axel hadn't ever really had a problem with it. Sure, he teased Hartley about it constantly because he didn't know how to handle it, but he didn't really try to be malicious about it. Axel thought that it was okay for Hartley to be okay...so what about other people?

Axel didn't think he had any problem with anybody else being gay. He just wasn't sure about himself.

Barry must've been able to tell that Axel felt extremely conflicted. "Look, if it bothers you that much why don't you just not think of it as being gay?"

Axel looked at Barry strangely. "What else would it be?" If a guy liked a guy, then they were gay. That was it. There wasn't anything else about it, was there?"

"You could just like Hartley." Barry suggested. "I don't think you have to give some label to it."

"Huh." Axel hadn't ever thought of that before. So he could just like Hartley? That actually didn't sound so bad. The only thing that Axel wasn't sure about at this point was what would happen if things went wrong? Axel didn't want to get his heart broken, and he didn't want to break Hartley's either. If things  _didn't_ work out between them, then would they even keep on being friends after that? Axel knew that lots of normal people didn't stay friends after a breakup, and the two of them were most definitely not normal people.

Axel thought he knew what he wanted to do, but he still wasn't entirely sure. He just needed some time to think about this. At the same time though, Axel didn't want to keep Hartley waiting. So Axel looked at his phone and just wrote a simple message.

' _I'll think about it.'_

* * *

Hartley took a deep breath and looked at his watch for the tenth time in the past two minutes. He didn't think he had felt this nervous about a date before. Of course, this wasn't just about a date, Hartley would have been able to handle it if that was the case. This was also about their friendship in general. Hartley didn't even care if this was an actual date or not (alright, that was a lie, Hartley would definitely prefer this to be a real date, but he would live with things if it wasn't) but he  _did_ need to talk to Axel about this.

Hartley was so nervous about this 'date' that he had arrived at CC Jitters a full half an hour early. He had been waiting for about thirty five minutes now, and he felt like he was going to break down from nerves. He was tempted to go inside and get himself a coffee or three to relax, but he really didn't want to. Hartley wanted to be outside to see Axel when (if) he arrived. So he waited outside.

It was raining outside and had been the entire time that Hartley had been there. He hadn't bothered bringing his umbrella, so he was soaking wet. Normally he would absolutely despise it, but it wasn't so bad this time. It wasn't raining all that hard, and the water almost seemed to ground him. All Hartley had to do was close his eyes and listen to the light sound of the rain hitting the pavement and he was calmed slightly.

"Hey, you." Hartley's eyes flew open when he heard the oh so familiar voice. He had been hoping to hear his voice all day, but he hadn't actually been  _expecting_ it. Hartley turned to see Axel standing next to him, offering out his ridiculous looking children's umbrella. Hartley smiled for the first time that day.

"I almost thought you weren't going to come." Hartley said.

"I almost thought that too." Axel admitted. "So, uh…" Axel trailed off and seemed to be blushing a bit. Hartley could see that Axel was just as nervous as he was, He suddenly found himself regretting the second text he had sent the day before.

"You know, this doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to be." Hartley said, and he actually meant it.

"Uh, actually, I think I kinda  _do_ want it." Axel gave off a nervous little laugh. Hartley felt like his heart fluttered. God, he felt like a teenager whose crush was finally talking to him.

"Seriously?" This sounded too good to believe.

"Yeah, I think so." Axel said with more confidence. "I mean, you'll be paying, right? Isn't that what guys do for dates?"

"Well, yes, but  _you're_ the guy here too." Hartley reminded him, though he wasn't really sure why he had to.

Axel just grinned at him. "But you're the one who asked me out."

Hartley had to laugh at that. If he was feeling spiteful he might remind Axel that he had only asked him out because Axel had kissed him first, but he wasn't that low. Axel was obviously feeling incredibly nervous already. Hartley didn't want to scare him off by making him feel embarrassed.

"I'll tell you what." Hartley said. "I'll pay for our coffees, and you can pay for the next date." Too late he realized that him saying that might scare Axel off even more than the reminder of the kiss might.

To Hartley's relief Axel just laughed. "Yeah, that sounds fair." Hartley let out a nervous laugh himself. Axel had basically agreed to  _more_ dates before they had even had their first one. Hartley actually felt incredibly relieved about that. He felt amazing.

"Should we go inside?" Hartley suggested. Axel smiled nervously, and Hartley returned it with one that was just as nervous.

"Yeah, okay." The two of them went inside together. Neither of them were feeling very sure about themselves or this whole situation, but they were  _both_ willing to give this new thing a try. It was a risk, a  _big_ one, and there was a definite chance that it might blow up in their faces.

The thing was, both Axel and Hartley were comfortable with taking risks. As nervous as they felt, they were also very excited. It all kinda felt like an adventure. And, really, every day with Axel actually felt like an adventure, so Hartley considered himself prepared.

And even though Hartley never really considered himself an adventurous type, he was really looking forward to the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the story is over, I kinda wanna share my headcanons. As you have probably guessed, I've written both Hartley and Axel with mental health issues, but I haven't told you guys what exactly I've been writing them with. So, yeah, here goes.
> 
> As I'm sure some of you have already guessed, I've written Hartley with Asperger's syndrome. It was just kinda my way of adjusting to some changes in my life. Axel on the other hand was more complicated. I had a headcanon for him, but I don't personally know anybody with this, so I had to just go off what I could find online. So, even though I admit my portrayal may be inaccurate, and I apologize if it was, I was trying to write Axel with bipolar disorder.


End file.
